Scared after ‘Aila’, thousands in Sundarbans take shelters ahead of Fani

Kolkata, May 4 (IANS) With dreadful memories of cyclone, 'Aila' which wreaked havoc in Sundarbans about 10 years back, thousands of people along with their domestic animals took shelters in the relief camps and flood centres in the islands as severe cyclonic storm Fani approached West Bengal causing intense intermittent rainfall and destroying houses.

Hapless people living in the island feared losing their livelihoods as the villages and agricultural lands face inundation with the likely rise in sea level leading to ingress of saline water into cultivable lands.

"We cannot forget the terrible experience of 'Aila'. Many people and a flock of domestic animals were killed. With fear, we have come here in advance and many people who are still in their homes will come from villages," said a middle aged man housed at a shelter in South 24 Parganas district's Namkhana, where 500-600 people took shelter along with 300 domestic animals - cows and goats.

While moving towards a rescue shelter in Frazerganj with the support of his relatives, Haradhan Sardar said, "I had a stroke during 'Aila'. Now again, I had to leave my house."

With increasing pressure of people pouring in the flood centre, local panchayats in the delta have arranged temporary relief camps in many school to accommodate a higher number of people who have been flocking to camps with anticipation of scarce drinking water and foods.

The extremely severe cyclonic storm Fani, is expected to enter West Bengal by Friday midnight or early Saturday with a wind speed of 90-100 kmph gusting to 115 kmph, an official said here.

'Aila', a severe cyclone, which hit India and Bangladesh in 2009, killed hundreds of people in India and Bangladesh and millions were affected by the storm.

Given the area's unique topography of mangrove forests and innumerable rivers, the islands have no industry and the people largely depend on agriculture, salt water pisci-culture and collection of forest produce as their livelihood.

Raising concern about their livelihood post cyclone, a villager, who took shelter in a relief camp at Namkhana, said, "Don't know what would happen after the storm. Like 'Aila', we might lose our livihood as we would not be able to till the land which will largely become saline."