1. SOCIETY FOR INTEGRATED DEVELOPMENT AND SOCIAL ACTION
Vill. + PO: Raidighi, dist.: 24 Paraganas(S), Sundarban
Pin-743383, West Bengal, India Email: sidsaindia@gmail.com
Mob: 91-9732672348
A Report: Cyclone Aila Emergency Response in the Area of Block
Mathurapur-II of South 24 Paraganas, West Bengal, India, Pin-743383,
October 2009
Disaster Aila at Sundarban:
The destruction-Count
More than 200 people are reported dead and an estimated 3 million displaced
from their homes after a high velocity
cyclone (120kph) hit Southern Bengal
on 25th May 2009 devastating
thousands of life. Worst hit areas have
been the islands of Sunderban. Cyclone
Aila, unleashed a four-meter high tidal
surge and flooded low-lying regions
overflowing the embankments washing
off thousands of households completely and making a landfall in Sunderbans
and coastal areas of southern West Bengal. The coastal belt and river side
villages were mostly affected and destroyed due to Aila. According to the
Government of West Bengal estimate about 50 Lakhs people are affected.
‘We lost every thing that mattered to us. Paddy that we
cultivated last Kharif has been completely washed off. What will
we depend on now? We are left with only this single saree
(cloth) that we are wearing.’ This was the cry of the hour.
1

2. Vast stretches of these districts looked like a reconstructed battlefield. Trees
were uprooted, mud houses were flattened, and community trapped into several
pockets. Sea wave gushed into land in different places and submerged paddy
fields, sweet water ponds, roads completely. Even around the coastal areas Aila
snapped electricity and swathe telecommunication making it completely
isolated from the main land.
The biggest long term loss has
been of the land asset. With long
stretch of guard wall collapsing
due to strong tidal waves making
gushing saline water enter the
land encroaching sweet water
areas and leaving a long term
impact on that.
Area visit by Sister Fanny and SIDSA authorities Other than loss of human life
there has been beyond count loss of livestock making the population in further
loss economically.
According to the Press Trust of India (PTI),
13 districts in the state of West Bengal
have been hit. However, the islands in the
ecologically diverse Sunderbans delta have
borne the brunt of the cyclone. Those
displaced are suffering acutely due to lack
of food and clean water.
Mathurapur II Block, South 24 Pargana
District
Mathurapur II block is the facing west
wards towards the river. The worst affected
areas of the block were Jagannath Chak of
Nandakumarpur Gram Panchayats and
Maitirgheri, Singhergheri and Uttar
2

3. Kumrapara villages of Kumrapara Gram Panchayet, Sipaipara, Naskarpara and
Mirpara of Kankandighi GP, Srifaltala (East and West), Munda para of Raidighi
GP which are on the southern fringe of the block. Apart from direct river lashing
areas have also been affected due to high velocity storm.
Survival strategy
By evening population of the villages could come to terms about the situation
and tried to move to safer places. People came to the schools and other
highlands tops.
Community started there own struggle against
the odds. Community stretched their hands of
support to each other. Those who were less
affected gave space to the homeless before any
support could reach and affected people could
move to relief camps. People slowly started shifting to relief camps, on high road
sides to find a shelter for their family. Community cooking started to provide
minimum food. But the biggest concern that was arising soon was the cry for
drinking water. Sanitation and hygiene condition was deteriorating fast.
Humanitarian Support
"There is water everywhere. We could reach aid to only 10 percent
of the affected population. We could not even airdrop food packets
because of the flooding," Kanti Ganguly, West Bengal state minister
of Sundarbans Affairs Dept., told Reuters, as quoted in the
Washington Post.
In this situation, Sister Fanny Perregaux from Switzerland and ICOD extended
her hands of support for the victims of Mathurapur- II Block through ‘Society
for Integrated Development & Social Action (SIDSA). Society for Integrated
Development and Social Action (SIDSA) being the most active and experienced
NGO in this region (working since 1987) immediately started its relief activities
with support from Sister Fanny Perregaux.
3

4. Support of different forms like food grains, dry food, emergency medicines and
drinking water were mobilized to the affected villages of Mathurapur-II.
Emergency relief wing was formed
along with local volunteers. Initially
it was difficult to have access to the
interior areas of the island villages,
but subsequently those were
reached. Fourteen medical camps
were organised in different locations
to support to the needs of 4000
cyclone and flood affected home less
people. Some Community ponds were identified and dewatered for community
use.
Detailed report on support
In a period of 15 days (June 01-June 15 2009) SIDSA reached the interiors of
the four Gram Panchayats most affected
in person and stood beside the affected
to share their devastation.
Aila Response programme with a 15
member team reached the affected
villages within 4 days of the devastation
and started its humanitarian relief
1st round dry food distribution
program entitled ‘SIDSA Relief
programme Aila Affected Sundarban Villagers’.
The emergency relief program comprised of some immediate relief activity
accompanied with some preventive and curative aspects for long term effect.
They include the following:
Relief-
• Safe drinking water supply.
• Dry food support for the affected people in two rounds
• Milk distribution for children
4

5. • Candles and matches for affected
Curative-
• Medical Camps for the affected people
Preventive-
• Mosquito Prevention Programme (Health counseling focusing on
sanitation and hygiene)
• Mosquito net distribution
At a glance report of the support in different Gram Panchayats-
5

6. Date Programmes Where No.of
Beneficiaries
(Family)
01st June to Safe drinking Rescue Centre at Jagannath 2000
15th June water supply Chak of Nandakumarpur GP
2009 and Maitirgheri and
Singhergheri of Kumrapara
GP.
01st June to 14 Medical Maitirgheri and Singher Gheri 700
7th June 2009 Camps of Kumrapara Gram
( Homoeopathy) Panchayet.
for the affected
people
• 8 th
Food Support of • Nandakumarpur • 300
June’09-1 Rice-2 Kg Musur • Kumrapara GP • 500
0th Dal-400gm.and • Raidighi • 100
June’09 Biscuit- 1 Pkd. • 100
• Kankandighi
for the affected
• Total
people
1000
Families
• 25 th
– 27 th Pond • Three villages of • 450
June ‘09 Dewatering of Kumrapara families
nine community
ponds
• 11 -13 th th Distributed • Kankandighi (3 villages) • 205
July ‘09 powdered milk • Kumrapara (4 villages) • 591
of Amul 50 • 135
• Nandakumarpur ( 1 village)
gram packet per • 69
children of the • Raidighi (1 village)
age 0-5 years
• 14th -15th Candle and • Nandakumarpur (1 village) • 300
July ‘09 Matches • Kumrapur (2 villages) • 500
distribution for
affected families • Raidighi (2 villages) • 200
• 1st of Rice • Kankandighi (3 villages) • 110
September distribution 3 • Raidighi (3 villages) • 80
’09 kg per family
• Kumrapur (4 villages) • 168
• nd
2 -3 rd
of Mosquito net • Nandakumarpur (1 village) • 176
September one per family • Kankandighi (4 villages) • 191
‘09 • Raidighi (3 villages) • 169 6
• Kumrapara (6 villages) • 464

7. A. Relief
1. Safe drinking water supply-
‘Water Water every where not a single drop to
drink’. In literary sense the area represented
the same. People were thirsty but did not get
water to drink; only a packet of water was all
what the family of five head. Saline water was
every where, tube wells, drinking water taps
were submerged under water. Even after the
water subsided after 7 days the water source
program were not suitable and safe for using Safe drinking Water Supply by SIDSA
as they were contaminated. Under this
condition the program distributed packaged drinking water continuously for 15
days in all four areas of work. It reached 2000 beneficiaries at their homes with
water everyday by the organisation.
2. Powdered Milk Distribution-
Children between 0-5 year’s age
were one of most affected groups in
the cyclone. They had no proper
hygienic nutritious food and it was
not safe for them to have
community food. Although children
above 2 years survived on that for
many days before powdered milk in
small units could be supplied to
them to maintain their nutrition level. Specially milking mothers were not able
to milk their children at they themselves were on low nutrition. So the program
to distribute powdered milk was off great support to the mothers as well as
children. Total of 1000 children received packet milk support in 9 villages of 4
GPs’.
3. Dry food support
7

8. Dry food like rice, dal, and biscuits were rushed to the affected villages
immediately within four days of damage. Houses and all there belongings
washed away in the running water.
Most were only left with what they
were wearing. They needed food
support and so dry foods were
distributed through central camps
in two rounds. During first round
1000 households received this
support. After every thing settled
down another support of lesser
2nd round dry food distribution
number 358 of families (3 Kg. rice per family) was given in worst affected area
that needed further support.
Name of Gram No of villages No. of family benefited
Panchayet
Raidighi 3 villages 80 family
Kumrapara 4 villages 168 family
Kankandighi 3 villages 110 family
Total 3 GPs 10 villages 358 family
4. Candles and matches to affected-
It was a great response shown by Sister
Fanny Perregaux during her stay in the
villages along with the affected. She felt
for the population when she saw the
households sinking into darkness at
night with only a lamp (kerosene oil
supported) was lighting there houses.
This light neither provided much glow,
more kerosene was costly and thirdly with one blow it could easily go off. She
responded to the situation by giving 1000 affected family with a candle and
match box (Per family one candle and one match box)
Name of Gram No of villages No. of family benefited
Panchayet
Raidighi 2 villages 200 families
8

9. Kumrapara 4 villages 500 families
Nandakumarpur 1 villages 300 families
Total 3 GPs 7 villages 1000 families
B. Curative health care support
1. Health camps-
Fourteen health camps in one GP
were opened to provide immediate
health support that originated as an
after affect of cyclone. In 7 days it
reached to 700 families on different
health grounds. People felt the need
for these health camps and long
queue could be observed each day.
Through these camps medicines were also provided to the affected people.
C. Preventive health care-
1. Mosquito Prevention programme focusing on health and hygiene:
Curative health alone could not
be stopped the situation of
malaria epidemic outbreak if
population at large were not
explained. During the
programs, an emphasis was
placed by SIDSA on
acquainting affected people
about their health and hygiene
during the time of disaster post
9

10. period. Through SHG, mother and community meetings mosquito preventive
massages were addressed to the community by the organisation in four Gram
Panchayet areas.
2. Distribution of mosquito nets
In the second round the needs started
coming in for mosquito nets as the
logged water were becoming breeding
grounds of mosquitoes. One net per
family was distributed in 14 villages
of 4 GPs’. A total of 1000 household
received the nets.
Need based support required in for Mathurapur II block, where work is going on
are-
Long term rehabilitation programme for the disaster affected people in this region needs
to be planned and implemented immediately as the destruction has been both long term
and short term. People are now striving for income to meet their basic needs. Major
emphasis should be given on reconstruction of houses (both by grant and community
participation), livelihoods and preventive health care support. SIDSA is already actively
working in these areas through its various programmes like Targeting women with
disabilities. A planning is to be made for building of low cost disaster resistant houses
with community participation and strengthening of livelihoods programme. Issues like
migration, school-dropout, child labour and abuse, trafficking etc should be kept in close
vigil.
10

11. Sister fanny gives boiling food to some flood Meeting with women group leaders for Beneficiary
affected hunger people of Sundarban selection of mosquito net distribution
Providing of dry foods to the affected Distribution of Dry foods to the affected
area villagers
11