DOCSLIB.ORG

Reckoning with Aila

Total Page：16

File Type：pdf, Size：1020Kb

Download full-text PDF Read full-text
Reckoning with Aila RECKONING WITHAILA J U N E - A U G U S T 2 0 0 9 Humanitarian response in the wake of one of the most severe This image of Aila was captured on May 25 2009, by the Nasa Terra Satellite cyclones in decades to hit the Source: earthobservatory.nasa.gov Indian Sunderbans Aila Impact of Aila Of the few functional handpumps used for Sunderbans drinking water, most were inundated or choked with debris. Most existing toilets were washed away, and there was serious Cyclone Aila hit the Sunderbans in the Following cyclone Aila, much of the damage pollution from sewage and dead animals. Sunderbans, meaning "beautiful forest" in Indian sub continent near Bay of Bengal on was caused by massive flooding, which The threat of water-borne epidemics was Bengali, is known as the largest single block the afternoon of 25th May 2009, with gale- contaminated drinking water sources with very high, including cholera, which is of tidal mangrove forest on earth, and a force winds up to 120 kmph, and torrential seawater and killed the fish that people rear endemic throughout this area. The supply of world heritage site. What is less known is rain. As it crossed over the coastline of in the freshwater ponds. This affected safe drinking water had reached crisis levels. that Sunderbans is home to over a million South 24 Parganas district in West Bengal, people's livelihoods in the long run. people, who live in a vulnerable environ- Aila temporarily strengthened to a Category For several days following the cyclone, ment, with constant threat of rising sea 1 cyclone. As Zubin Zaman, Oxfam India's Program hundreds of thousands of people were levels, seasonal flooding and water scarcity, Manager, pointed out, "The ponds are a homeless, clustered into municipal buildings diseases and loss of livelihood. Aila ripped through 17 districts in West lifeline - they give people water for house- and schools, camped outside on higher Bengal, of which South 24 Parganas was one hold needs, water to irrigate, and fish". ground. Land mass in this delta region is fragmented of the worst affected. Storm surges at the into thousands of hard-to -access islands. coast flooded agricultural areas with saline Most of these are below the sea level, water. High winds and high tide became a ringed by bunds [traditional embank- devastating combination. ments], to keep the salt water away. While this provides precious land for human According to UNDMT and media reports, habitation, most areas have to do without Aila was one of the worst cyclones in electricity, motorable roads, or drinking decades, in which about 6.3 million people water connections. People use diminishing were affected and nearly half a million underground resources to meet some of homes were lost or damaged. their drinking water needs, and harvest rainwater in shallow ponds for all other Aila Infrared image. Source: nasa.gov purposes. A journey from Kusumtala village in the Namkhana block of the Sunderbans, to the nearest city Kolkata, requires all of several modes of transport - walking, manual "rickshaw vans", boat, bus and the railways. On a good day it takes over four hours to travel one way. “That day, strong winds were blowing began climbing a nearby tree. Soon after, I saw my “The surroundings were filthy; rainwater from the east. Sensing danger, a few of home collapse with all the belongings inside. I real- puddles were all over the place. Mosqui- us villagers went to examine the nearby ised that the current was too strong and the tree toes bred quickly in the stagnant water a embankment and the water level. Sea wouldn't hold my weight any longer. I let go. I was and we had a lot of trouble with them. It l i A surges and cyclones are a part of life in the dazed, scared and confused. Luckily I found a was particularly the children who were not able to e Sundarbans. Four years ago, a similar incident had wooden plank and clung to it for life. I then man- sleep because of the insects.” Rokeja Bibi, Junput n o l taken place, but it was not this severe. aged to wade to higher ground and save myself. Village c y c f o The tide was nearly at level with the embankment The next day, I returned to find everything h t and rising fast. Rushing back home, I informed my destroyed; our home, furniture, food stocks and the a wife and children to seek shelter at the market place children's books. I realised that it would take us “Our surroundings were completely P nearly a kilometre away. I stayed back, trying to some time to rebuild what we lost. We waited sev- changed following Aila. The nearby secure our belongings and preparing for any eventu- eral days till the local government provided us with school was a safe place from the wind ality. rice and a tarpaulin sheet. and the rain but the sanitation facilities Within a few hours, I heard villagers shouting that We will have to start all over again. I will need to were not adequate there. During the first the dyke had burst. I saw water rushing towards our rebuild my home, buy new books for my children two weeks the hygiene situation was not good and home - quick and furious. It engulfed our mud hut and continue working to buy food.” Moni Gopal we had reports of diarrhoea breaking out in the Oxfam response sites and kept rising. I was nearly neck deep when I Punti, Indrapur Village nearby villages. ” Gayathri Nanda, Haripur GP Aila Impact of Aila Of the few functional handpumps used for Sunderbans drinking water, most were inundated or choked with debris. Most existing toilets were washed away, and there was serious Cyclone Aila hit the Sunderbans in the Following cyclone Aila, much of the damage pollution from sewage and dead animals. Sunderbans, meaning "beautiful forest" in Indian sub continent near Bay of Bengal on was caused by massive flooding, which The threat of water-borne epidemics was Bengali, is known as the largest single block the afternoon of 25th May 2009, with gale- contaminated drinking water sources with very high, including cholera, which is of tidal mangrove forest on earth, and a force winds up to 120 kmph, and torrential seawater and killed the fish that people rear endemic throughout this area. The supply of world heritage site. What is less known is rain. As it crossed over the coastline of in the freshwater ponds. This affected safe drinking water had reached crisis levels. that Sunderbans is home to over a million South 24 Parganas district in West Bengal, people's livelihoods in the long run. people, who live in a vulnerable environ- Aila temporarily strengthened to a Category For several days following the cyclone, ment, with constant threat of rising sea 1 cyclone. As Zubin Zaman, Oxfam India's Program hundreds of thousands of people were levels, seasonal flooding and water scarcity, Manager, pointed out, "The ponds are a homeless, clustered into municipal buildings diseases and loss of livelihood. Aila ripped through 17 districts in West lifeline - they give people water for house- and schools, camped outside on higher Bengal, of which South 24 Parganas was one hold needs, water to irrigate, and fish". ground. Land mass in this delta region is fragmented of the worst affected. Storm surges at the into thousands of hard-to -access islands. coast flooded agricultural areas with saline Most of these are below the sea level, water. High winds and high tide became a ringed by bunds [traditional embank- devastating combination. ments], to keep the salt water away. While this provides precious land for human According to UNDMT and media reports, habitation, most areas have to do without Aila was one of the worst cyclones in electricity, motorable roads, or drinking decades, in which about 6.3 million people water connections. People use diminishing were affected and nearly half a million underground resources to meet some of homes were lost or damaged. their drinking water needs, and harvest rainwater in shallow ponds for all other Aila Infrared image. Source: nasa.gov purposes. A journey from Kusumtala village in the Namkhana block of the Sunderbans, to the nearest city Kolkata, requires all of several modes of transport - walking, manual "rickshaw vans", boat, bus and the railways. On a good day it takes over four hours to travel one way. “That day, strong winds were blowing began climbing a nearby tree. Soon after, I saw my “The surroundings were filthy; rainwater from the east. Sensing danger, a few of home collapse with all the belongings inside. I real- puddles were all over the place. Mosqui- us villagers went to examine the nearby ised that the current was too strong and the tree toes bred quickly in the stagnant water a embankment and the water level. Sea wouldn't hold my weight any longer. I let go. I was and we had a lot of trouble with them. It l i A surges and cyclones are a part of life in the dazed, scared and confused. Luckily I found a was particularly the children who were not able to e Sundarbans. Four years ago, a similar incident had wooden plank and clung to it for life. I then man- sleep because of the insects.” Rokeja Bibi, Junput n o l taken place, but it was not this severe. aged to wade to higher ground and save myself. Village c y c f o The tide was nearly at level with the embankment The next day, I returned to find everything h t and rising fast.
Load more

Recommended publications
  • Dwelling in Loss Environment, Displacement and Memory in the Indian Ganges Delta
    Dwelling in Loss Environment, Displacement and Memory in the Indian Ganges Delta Arne Harms Dwelling in Loss: Environment, Displacement and Memory in the Indian Ganges Delta Inauguraldissertation zur Erlangung des Grades eines Dr. phil. Vorgelegt am Fachbereich Politik- und Sozialwissenschaften der Freien Universität Berlin von Arne Harms, M.A. Berlin, Dezember 2013 Erstgutachterin: Prof. Dr. Ute Luig Zweitgutachterin: Prof. Dr. Shalini Randeria Tag der Disputation: 10. Juli 2014 Memories are crafted by oblivion as the outlines of the shore are created by the sea. Marc Augé, Oblivion Contents Acknowledgements ................................................................................................................... iv Table of Figures ........................................................................................................................ vi A Note on Transliteration ......................................................................................................... vii Glossary ................................................................................................................................... viii 1. Introduction ......................................................................................................................... 1 1.1. Methodology ........................................................................................................................... 7 1.2. Structure of the Thesis ..........................................................................................................
    [Show full text]
  • Cyclonic Storm Landfalls in Bangladesh, West Bengal and Odisha, 1877–2016
    WPS8316 Policy Research Working Paper 8316 Public Disclosure Authorized Cyclonic Storm Landfalls in Bangladesh, West Bengal and Odisha, 1877–2016 Public Disclosure Authorized A Spatiotemporal Analysis Sunando Bandyopadhyay Susmita Dasgupta Zahirul Huque Khan David Wheeler Public Disclosure Authorized Public Disclosure Authorized Development Research Group Environment and Energy Team & Environment and Natural Resources Global Practice Group January 2018 Policy Research Working Paper 8316 Abstract Recurrent cyclonic storms in the Bay of Bengal inflict mas- shifted eastward, there is a marked variability in location, sive losses on the coastal regions of Bangladesh and India. especially after 1960. Impacts also have varied considerably Information on occurrences and severities of cyclones is within and across zones over time, with the highest-im- necessary for understanding household and community pact zones in northern Odisha and the Sundarbans region responses to cyclone risks. This paper constructs a georef- of West Bengal. The pronounced spatial and temporal erenced panel database that can be used to obtain such variation in cyclone impacts will provide robust controls information for Bangladesh, West Bengal, and Odisha. for comparative research on household and community Cyclone strike locations and impact zones are analyzed adaptation to cyclones in the study region. The meth- for several historical periods between 1877 and 2016. The odology developed in the paper is general and could be findings indicate that although the median location has expanded to an arbitrarily large set of coastal locations. This paper is a product of the Environment and Energy Team, Development Research Group and the Environment and Natural Resources Global Practice Group. It is part of a larger effort by the World Bank to provide open access to its research and make a contribution to development policy discussions around the world.
    [Show full text]
  • Study of Bob Cyclone Aila: Moisture Effects on Heavy Rain and Flooding in Bangladesh, Bhutan, Ne-India and Nepal
    STUDY OF BOB CYCLONE AILA: MOISTURE EFFECTS ON HEAVY RAIN AND FLOODING IN BANGLADESH, BHUTAN, NE-INDIA AND NEPAL Sk. Md. Abubakar Abdullah* and Mohan Kumar Das SAARC Meteorological Research Centre (SMRC), Agargaon, Dhaka 1207, Bangladesh *E-mail of corresponding author: [email protected] ABSTRACT Cyclone AILA-2009 was of moderate intensity that ravaged southwestern part of Bangladesh badly. Alongside, it ravaged West Bengal of India, eastern Nepal and southern Bhutan. Due to torrential rain these four countries experienced flooding effects. A series of heavy rainfall events caused devastating floods across portions of south central and southwest Bangladesh into Northwestern Bangladesh, Southeastern Nepal and Bhutan from May 26-27, 2009. The occurrence of both a frontal and mesoscale convection pattern and the entrainment of tropical moisture from western Bay of Bengal (BoB) combined to produce heavy rainfall. The wet spell episode persisted over a two days period. An extensive area with storm totals of 25 to 50 mm stretched from southwest Bangladesh into southeastern Nepal and Bhutan. This is a case study examining the meso-scale, upper air and hydro-logic aspects which led to the prolonged heavy rain and flood episode. Advanced Research WRF (ARW) Model with horizontal resolution of 9 km x 9 km, 50s time step and 27 vertical levels has been used to simulate the nature of Cyclone AILA and its associated wind, rainfall etc. Six hourly Final Reanalysis (FNL) data of National Centers for Environmental Prediction (NCEP) were used as input to WRF-ARW Model for the simulation of “AILA”. The model results are compared with the TRMM, Kalpana-1 images and the India Meteorological Department (IMD) predicted results.
    [Show full text]
  • Condition of Agricultural Productivity of Gosaba C.D. Block, South24 Parganas, West Bengal, India After Severe Cyclone Aila
    International Journal of Scientific and Research Publications, Volume 3, Issue 7, July 2013 1 ISSN 2250-3153 Condition of Agricultural Productivity of Gosaba C.D. Block, South24 Parganas, West Bengal, India after Severe Cyclone Aila Ajay Debnath* * Department of Geography, University of Calcutta Abstract- On 25th May 2009 morning severe cyclone Aila hit the Hodges, marks the northern limit of the Sundarbans, running in a Bay of Bengal coast of The Indian Sundarban region with it tidal slightly zigzag pattern from Basirhat in the north-east to Kulpi surges of up to 6.5 metres, affecting 11 coastal districts. This along the Hugli in the west. Politically the Sundarbans in North- surge of water damaged and washed away over 1,743kms of 24 Parganas falls within the six Blocks of Minakhan, Haroa, embankments, removing the only protection available to many Sandeshkhali-I and II, Hasnabad and Hingalganj while in South people along the coast. This tidal surge causes floods over the 24 Parganas it extends over thirteen Blocks of Gosaba, Basanti, entire region which brought high salinity and pH. This flood Canning-I, Canning-II, Joynagar-I, Joynagar-II, Kultuli, increased salinity and pH condition of agricultural land and Patharpratima, Namkhana, Sagar, Kakdwip and Mathurapur-II. highly affect over crop production. Crop production has The entire Indian Sundarban covers an area of 9630 sq. km markedly reduced after this severe cyclone. Economic conditions bounded between estuary of river Hugli in the East, Bay of of the people in this region also highly affected by this natural Bengal in the South, Ichhamati-Raimangal in the East and disaster.
    [Show full text]
  • Systematic Study of Cyclone Aila Recovery Efforts in Koyra, Bangladesh Highlighting the Possible Contribution to Vulnerability Reduction
    自然災害科学 J. JSNDS 36 特別号 109 -121（2017） Systematic Study of Cyclone Aila Recovery Efforts in Koyra, Bangladesh Highlighting the Possible Contribution to Vulnerability Reduction Md Shibly SADIK1, Hajime NAKAGAWA2, Md. Rezaur RAHMAN3, Rajib SHAW4, 5 6 7 Kenji KAWAIKE , Kumiko FUJITA , and S. M. Tariqul ISLAM Systematic Study of Cyclone Aila Recovery Efforts in Koyra, Bangladesh Highlighting the Possible Contribution to Vulnerability Reduction 1 2 3 Md Shibly SADIK , Hajime NAKAGAWA , Md. Rezaur RAHMAN , 4 5 6 7 Rajib SHAW , Kenji KAWAIKE , Kumiko FUJITA , and S. M. Tariqul ISLAM Abstract Cyclone Aila struck Bangladesh in 2009. Disaster managers and researchers agree that the pre-Aila vulnerabilities of the affected areas were the major reasons for the devastating damage and prolonged suffering caused by the cyclone. Since the cyclone hit, a large number of humanitarian organizations and different government departments have been working on post-cyclone recovery. This study systematically investigated the Aila recovery mechanism, taking Koyra Upazila as a case study area. Through a process of institutional surveys, expert interviews, and focus group discussions with local people, this study examined the implemented recovery measures in the context of pre- Aila vulnerability reduction. One of the findings is that the present NGO coordination mechanism does not ensure coordinated recovery efforts at the local level. Another finding is that, the adopted recovery measures are mostly low to moderate contributors to vulnerability reduction. The community was afraid that a cyclone similar to Aila would cause severe damage in the future. This study advocates long- term viable measures to eliminate the root causes of pre-disaster vulnerabilities.
    [Show full text]
  • 1 Situation Report Cyclone Aila Origin of Cyclone Path
    SITUATION REPORT CYCLONE AILA ORIGIN OF CYCLONE On 22 May 2009, the Kolkata Meteorological Department reported that a low pressure area had formed over West-central Bay of Bengal and adjoining East-central Bay of Bengal. The system was likely to intensify further. On 23 May, the department reported that the system had further i ntensified and was likely to concentrate into a Depression. On 24 May, the system intensified into a Deep Depression and lay about 550 kilometres south of Kolkata. The meteorological department predicted that the system was likely to intensify further into a Cyclonic Storm and cross West Bengal or Bangladesh coast near 89° East, about 100 kilometres east of Sagar Island by 25 May evening. On 25 May, the Cyclonic Storm “Aila” over North West Bay, moved northwards and intensified further and lay centred at 0830 hrs IST with in half a degree of latitude 20.5°N/Longitude 88.0°E, about 250 Km south of Kolkata with estimated central pressure 984 HPA and move in a near northerly direction and cross West Bengal Coast near latitude 88.0 Deg East (near Sagar Islands). On 26 May, Cyclone Aila over Sub-Himalayan West Bengal & adjoining Bangladesh moved further northward, weakened into a deep depression and lay centred at 0830 hours IST over Sub -Himalayan West Bengal, about 50 km to the north of Malda. The system is likely to move in a near northerly direction and weaken into a depression during next six hours. Under its influence, rainfall at most places with heavy to very heavy falls at a few places and isolated extremely heavy falls (= 25 cm) is likely over Sub-Himalayan West Bengal & Sikkim and Assam & Meghalaya during next 24 hours.
    [Show full text]
  • Cyclone Aila and the Sundarbans: an Enquiry Into the Disaster and Politics of Aid and Relief
    Cyclone Aila and the Sundarbans: An Enquiry into the Disaster and Politics of Aid and Relief Amites Mukhopadhyay 2009 December 2009 Published by: Mahanirban Calcutta Research Group GC-45, Sector - III, First Floor Salt Lake City Kolkata - 700 106 India Web: http://www.mcrg.ac.in Printed by: Timir Printing Works Pvt. Ltd. 43, Beniapukur Lane Kolkata - 700 014 This publication is part of a research work on the CRG Annual Winter Couirse on Forced Migration. The support of the UNHCR New Delhi, the Government of Finland and the Brookings Institution, Washinton DC is kindly acknowledged. 2 Cyclone Aila and the Sundarbans: An Enquiry into the Disaster and Politics of Aid and Relief Amites Mukhopadhyay Basanti Raptan, a resident of the southern part of Kusumpur 1 island in Gosaba Block of the Sundarbans, woke up to a morning that was different but not unusual in the Sundarbans. Since early morning, a thick cloud hung over the island and there was a strong wind blowing across the river. Basanti woke up early for her household chores little realising what the day had in store for her. She lived with her one and half year old daughter as her husband was away in Kolkata working as a construction labourer. While Basanti got up, her daughter was still asleep. As the day progressed the wind began to blow harder. Around eleven in the morning the wind suddenly changed into a violent storm. The mud wall and doors of her house started to tremble under its impact and Basanti could see from her courtyard that the storm made the coconut trees bend into halves.
    [Show full text]
  • Cyclone Aila and Coping Strategies of the Coastal Households in Southern Bangladesh*
    85 Bangladesh e-Journal of Sociology. Volume 17, No. 1, January 2020 Cyclone Aila and Coping Strategies of the Coastal Households in Southern Bangladesh* Sanjoy Kumar Chanda1 Abstract: Cyclones always affect the livelihood patterns of the human being. Although several studies measured only the immense impact of cyclone Aila which hit in the southern part of Bangladesh in 2009, very few studies concentrated on exploring impacts of the cyclone together with its coping strategies. The aim of this study is to explore the impacts and coping strategies of the Aila affected households located in the coastal region of southern Bangladesh. A total of 240 randomly selected households in the study area were surveyed through an interview schedule to gather information. Both descriptive and inferential statistics were used to analyze data. The results show that Aila affected households faced multifarious impacts such as the displacement of dwelling place, the loss of subsistence economy, the fall of income, the disruption of children’s study and the disorder of health. In order to mitigate the impacts of the cyclone Aila, various coping strategies of the households were observed in the study area. A significant portion (86%) of the household-dwellers, who experienced the full-damage of house, chose the embankment for building a new house as a coping strategy. While in the families confronted with the financial crisis following Aila, children of the 52 percent of households had to manage their study at home instead of attending school. Three obvious dichotomies such as formal and informal, strategic and nonstrategic, and traditional and scientific are underpinning to explain the nature of coping strategies.
    [Show full text]
  • Cyclone Yaas Disaster Relief
    Cyclone Yaas Disaster Relief Providing relief to 175 villages (~375K population) devastated by Cyclone Yaas Fighting disasters at the frontlines of climate change Proposal for Asha for Education % Supported by/ Issues (Response) Benefi funde Tentative Action Initiative Count Units ciary Rate Budget (₹) d Commitment Houses, kitchen, firms Relief Support dry food, baby packets of are flooded, and people 50% Kolkata Gives food, biscuits and dry ration. dry rations 10,000 taken shelter on road/ 10,000 ₹200 ₹2,000,000.00 75% 25% Asha for 100 villages * 100 families and baby families highland and relief Education each place food centers. Support needed from Asha for Education - 2500 families will be supported with relief support (dry food/dry ration) as Emergency support. Each kit will cost 200 INR. Total proposed budget = 2500 x 200 = 5,00,000 INR 2 Overall Proposal/Commitment as of May 31, 2021 Yaas Immediate Disaster Relief Plan and Budget NO Action Initiative Count Units Beneficiary Rate Budget (₹) Budget ($) % funded Commitment A Issues Response ₹24,600,000.00$339,310.34 Using local van with water tank/drum to carry drinking water from distance and support in affected villages. Drinking water support to flooded area . Deep tubewell and sweet water ponds are flooded with Planned for 15 days * 100 villages * 400 families per saline water. SOS calls for drinking water for human village * 10L/family/day = 6M Liters of water @ Rs 1and cattle 0.25 per liter 60,00,000 liters of water 40,000 families ₹0.25 ₹1,500,000.00 $20,689.66 50% 50% Kolkata Gives Mud/ semi-pucca houses are damaged due to flood and 2cyclone.
    [Show full text]
  • Getting Climate Smart for Disasters the Cyclone Context
    1 Getting Climate Smart for Disasters The Cyclone Context Project Report February 2014 Supported By R 2 Getting Climate Smart for Disasters The Cyclone Context Abstract The main objective of the project on “Getting Climate Smart for Disasters” is to research the barriers and opportunities for enabling action towards achieving convergence of cyclone related Disaster Risk Reduction and Climate Change Adaptation across varying scales - in the context of development, poverty and vulnerability reduction. The focus state is Odisha in the eastern coast of India which is cyclone prone. The project has been done in partnership between Intercooperation Social Development India, All India Disaster Management Institute and the Institute of Development Studies. The research has engaged institutions across the spectrum of governance in India at the National, state, district and local levels. The “Climate Smart Disaster Risk Management (CSDRM)” an integrated social development and disaster risk management approach that promotes environmentally sustainable development in a changing climate has been applied towards developing policy briefs for institutionalising CSDRM at various levels of existing governance structures, policies and planning for managing disasters related to cyclones. It has analysed and suggested way forward for reducing the mismatch in CSDRM between the different priorities of DRR institutions and those of ordinary people in hazard-prone areas. The research project has assessed the means of introducing and scope for up-scaling non farm based diversified livelihoods towards enhancing climate resilience of the vulnerable population using a “reverse engineering” exercise for severe cyclones such as Aila and Phailin that struck the East Indian coast in 2009 and 2013 respectively.
    [Show full text]
  • Cyclone Aila, SITREP May 25, 2009
    Sphere India Unified Response Strategy SITUATION REPORT 25th May 2009 PART 1: SITUATION REPORT: At 21:00 PM UTC, Cyclonic Storm Aila over northwest & adjoining central Bay of Bengal moved north-northwestwards and lay centred over northwest Bay of Bengal near 20.0N 88.0E, or about 140 kms east of Paradip, 180 kms south of Sagar Island and 300 kms southwest of Khepupara, Bangladesh. Sphere India Secretariat, New Delhi (May 25, 2009) |Page 1 Satellite imagery indicates bending feature system. Warning: 03 at 1500 GMT Current Dvorak intensity of the system is T2.5. Position: 18.7N 88.4E Associated broken intense to very intense convection Location: 255 miles S of observed over the Bay of Bengal between 14.5N to Kolkata, India 22.0N and between 83.0E to 92.5E. The lowest cloud Movement : N at 3 knots top temperature due to convection is about -70 to -80C Maximum sustained winds: around the system center. 45 knots Maximum gusts: 55 knots Three minute sustained winds near the center is 40 Threatened landmasses: knots with gusts of 50 knots and a central pressure of 984 hPa. The state of the sea is HIGH to VERY HIGH India, Bangladesh around the system's center. Vertical wind shear of horizontal wind is between 10-15 knots around the center. The past 24 hours shear tendency is negative to the north of the system. The system lies close to the upper tropospheric ridge, which roughly runs along 20.0N in association with the anticyclonic circulation over Mynamar and adjoining north Bay of Bengal located to the east-northeast of the system.
    [Show full text]
  • Impact of Cyclone Aila on the Livelihood of the People of West Bengal
    IMPACT OF CYCLONE AILA ON THE LIVELIHOOD OF THE PEOPLE OF WEST BENGAL Kalindi Sharma Research Scholar Department of Anthropology University of Delhi The Inception: z On 25th May 2009 A tropical Cyclone that formed in the Indian Ocean, later known as Cyclone Aila, progressed inwards on the land from the Bay of Bengal. z Among the worst affected districts were South 24- Parganas, North 24 Parganas and to some extent Kolkata, Howrah, Hooghly, Burdwan, Bankura and several other places z Its impact ranged from breached embankments, inundated lands, heavy torrential rains, uprooted trees, obstructed transit systems, high risk of epidemic and endemics to abandonment of homes/lands and loss of sustainable support system. z Approximately 1 million people in and around the coastal areas were affected z This paper is a culmination of a month long annex study carried out in the Aila affected regions of Block Gosaba, district 24 South Parganas, West Bengal, India. z It explores the aspect of livelihood of people living in the Sundarbans, post- Cyclone Aila. Conceptual Framework z Central to the study are the concepts of Livelihood and asset. z “A livelihood comprises the capabilities, assets (both natural and social) and activities required for a means of living” by Robert Chambers and Gordon Conway. z Livelihood involves “assets”, its exchange, its utilization, barriers in obtaining assets and the resources that control the assets. z It is the assets, that are the means to distinguishing between the “impoverished” and the “bestowed”. z If categorized Assets are generally accorded five common yet distinct categories, viz.
    [Show full text]