Resurgence of a state inundated....! My journey through the flood affected areas.

Resurgence of a state inundated....!


With the harvest festival of Onam that marks the homecoming of the mythical king Mahabali is round the corner, the state of Kerala is still not completely recovered to welcome him in exactly the same way they normally do. After being severely ravaged by floods, the worst in almost a hundred years, the state is slowly returning to normal. It all started when the rain kept pouring down without a break in almost everywhere in Kerala during the first and second week of this month. The situation slowly took a turn for the worse in the central and northern parts of Kerala when 34 out of 42 dams in the state had to be opened following incessant rains in the catchment areas. Very soon the monsoon fury engulfed the whole of Kerala without much warning and wreaked havoc thereby causing widespread devastation and human causalities. It was startling to discover how quickly the rain water formed into gushing rivers covered in brown, speeding water that changed its course at many places, devouring everything in its path .
As the rain intensified further, the water level kept rising at such a pace that people who thought they were comfortable in their double storied houses had to suddenly send SOS requests to whatever sources available for them in search of help. Initially it seemed the things were gradually getting out of hand but soon the people from all walks of life regrouped massively to take on the crisis by standing together. Regardless of rank, position, profession, caste or creed, the people of Kerala stood shoulder to shoulder in undertaking the much appreciated rescue and relief operation ever seen in the history of the state. The defense forces, the central armed forces and other crisis management agencies soon followed up and took charge of the rescue operations in different parts of Kerala.
The surprise package was the entry of the fishermen of Kerala who came all the way from Trivandrum and Kollam districts with their boats and rescued thousands of hapless people who were stranded at some most difficult places. It was an act of volition and purely out of their abundant love and compassion towards all those who were in distress. No doubt, these super heroes went way above and beyond the call of duty without any expectations, just as things looked too grim. We can’t forget the vibrant media in Kerala who worked tirelessly round the clock in identifying the people in misery and pass on any such information to the rescue parties without any delay. We should not also forget the unconquerable character displayed by the youngsters of Kerala. They mobilized themselves to carry out innumerable rescue operations to bring the old and helpless people to the relief camps thereby offering an exceptional example for the whole country.
The flood battered Kerala is slowly crawling back to normal. Water is now gradually ebbing out of many regions including Chengannur, Aranmula and Chalakudy. Regular train and bus services which were disrupted following the floods have resumed in many places. All weather warnings are now withdrawn. Clear skies have returned over almost all districts in Kerala. The clean up drive and repair work on all the damaged structures will begin soon. The death toll has reached 410 as of now and more than a million people have been forced into relief camps. Kerala now faces the humongous task of rehabilitating thousands of its people and rebuilding the massive destructions caused due to the unprecedented floods. Together we will ensure that it is done.
We, the Malayalis expressing our heartfelt thanks to all those who helped us to tackle this worst deluge in a century.
We owe a lot to you.
Meanwhile, back in Trivandrum from Madurai on Monday the 20th, I decided to embark on a solo, two day bike trip across some worst hit areas of Pathanamthitta, Allepy, Thiruvalla, Ranni and Chengannur region with rain still drizzling down and many areas still under water.
A few hours into my drive and the first real impact of the floods started showing its ugly face. And as I drove down into those worst affected places, I could see the devastation all around. For the most part there was hardly any traffic. The roads were seen inundated in many places. Everywhere I have seen people suffering from lack of electricity and drinking water. Many were still seen wading through the flooded boulevards in search of their devastated houses. The air was foul with a strange rotten stench. I witnessed some residents venting their anger and frustration at one place, complaining lack of any help from authorities in their hour of distress. In all places I have seen people removing mud, muck and slit that were deposited in their houses by flood waters. Residents were shocked to see the severity of the devastation. Several trees were seen lying uprooted on either side of the road. Electricity department workers looked busy in restoring power by erecting the uprooted poles. Local populace was seen helping the rescue workers in removing the debris and uprooted trees. People were seen cooking food as well as sleeping on the abandoned bus bays. Those who managed to rescue their cows and goats from the flood water seen tied their livestock to the railings of the road bridges. The devastating floods snatched everything from these poor people. In some places people crowded around me mistaking me for some media reporter who came to report their miseries. Streets wore a deserted look as all the shops and hotel were closed. Even the well off people could be seen queuing for relief food materials distributed by government and other social organizations. “We had never seen anything like this before” was what everybody had to say. Standing outside their partially submerged houses, they feel isolated from the world. Every one of them had only one prayer. “Oh.God..! This should not happen to anyone, anywhere in this world”. People blamed the sudden rush of water to the reckless and irresponsible opening of all the 34 dams in and around Kerala, without prior warning to those who are living near or within the vicinity of those dams. Excessive rain and the consequential floods are of course a fortuitous event but we, the human beings cannot escape liability for it’s our negligence or mismanagement in reasonably anticipating the ramifications of the flood that escalated the loss of lives and property which could have been equitably reduced. Yes, we all know, the water came swiftly and strongly that before anyone could do anything, most parts of Kerala has submerged in water. Here, we have to understand that, while blaming the nature for causing such a huge loss of lives and tremendous damage to livestock and properties, it’s always the natural solutions such as marshes, wetlands and reefs help protect us from floods but not the manmade structures like seawalls, dikes, dams or levees. Our shortsightedness prevents us from seeing our mistakes. We carry on with our own style of living once the things return back to normal. Despite the bummers, we carry on muddling our way through the mighty nature in a manner so idiotic, the horrors of recurrence of such catastrophic calamities cannot be ruled out in near future.
Dear friends, I am sure, your eyes have seen enough of those heart wrenching photographs straight from the flood stricken areas during the past one week or so. And obviously, it’s easier said than done for a photographer to focus his camera on something pleasant and vivacious while travelling in a flood hit area. But notwithstanding reverses, I still managed to get a few pictures from the calamity zone, which I can assure you, are not so disturbing….

FISHERMEN TASK FORCE- THE REAL UNSUNG HEROES

Fishermen Task Force - The Real Unsung Heroes.


Finally, as the flood fury ebbs and the state of Kerala limps back to normal, thousands of people owe their lives to a group, they never thought would come as messiahs in their lives. For thousands of people who were stranded in their houses, it was probably the most traumatizing experience they have ever been through in their life. When the ordeal showed its effects almost instantly, who would have ever thought the damage from the incessant rain for the past couple of days would be this much severe? Everything soon changed in the blink of an eye. Those who chose to stay in their houses, expecting the water level to drop, quickly found themselves in deep trouble. They sensed the first signs of danger when they realized that their shelters were already halfway submerged in floodwaters and they were rising at an alarming speed. Desperately searching for a way out, they glanced around but saw nothing except the vast wilderness of gushing floodwaters. And as the night crawled in, distress calls from the panic-stricken flood victims began pouring in on help lines. Thousands of people sought help through face book, whatsapp etc from all over the world. They made videos in their mobile phones, giving their details and exact location and posted them on the local channels and whatsapp groups, seeking help.
And in many cases, nothing had happened.
The local rescuers were the first to act. They rowed through the murky brown waters using their huge cooking vessels as rafts to reach their ill fated neighbors. They saved many lives in the first wave of flash floods in this manner. And the next day, when the things turned chaotic as the dams upstream had to be opened when they were filled to capacity, the government of Kerala send an SOS call to a task force, the people of Kerala have never heard or experienced before, the poor FISHERMEN.
When the announcements were made through microphones in the fishermen hamlets at midnight by the government agencies, requesting them to launch an immediate rescue operation in the flooded inland areas, many of them was not even available in their houses. They were called back from their work place, the sea . In no time, a contingent of more than one thousand battle hardened sea warriors, let me call them the “Fishermen Task Force” , left for the flood affected areas after loading their mechanized country boats and catamarans in trucks hired by the administration. They did not wait for any government aid to come along. They pooled money from their own pockets for their basic amenities.
Pressed into service, they rushed out with their mechanized country boats adept at navigating through strong undercurrents, to places where even the well equipped defense forces could not go. They also served food for the marooned flood victims who scrambled up to the higher floors in their buildings and crouched together on balconies waiting for help. Their rescue boats brought them to the relief camps. Their ability to navigate fearlessly through the flood waters proved to be invaluable during the hour of crisis.
It is estimated that they have rescued around sixty thousand people from floods without giving much thought about their own health and the damages caused to their boats, their only source of livelihood. They even refused to accept money offered by the government for their services by saying that “Humanity can never be honored with money”. And this is despite the fact that they too have suffered massive losses in the flood because of the strong winds and ingress of sea. No amount of words could ever describe the bravery and courage displayed by these unsung heroes when the state of Kerala faced its worst flood in 100 years.
During the last December’s Okhi Cyclone disaster, they lost more lives at sea than those died in the present floods. The response of our civil society towards their plight at that time was pathetically meager compared to what we have seen now. But still they came from far-flung places, braving the inclement weather and treacherous waters, and played a decisive role in rescuing their brothers and sisters in distress. These brave hearts have proved once again that theirs is a culture that encourages risk-taking as a part of their life.
The determination and toughness of these fishermen community to defy odds and go for daring missions in perilous waters have no comparison. When they steers their boats far out to sea with hope to stumble on enough fish to save the day, they know very well that this could well be their last journey. They face the wrath of unpredictable weather almost every day.
Many of us know very little about these fishermen. They are those who live in poverty and deprivation in the isolated fishing settlements in the confinement of a port or a sea shore. They seldom mingle with city dwellers or interact with outsiders. Their face always bore the strain of life. As a result they appear standoffish, unapproachable or disinterested to the so called civilized society. In a sense, they are a group ostracized by the other communities as they belong to the lower rungs of the socio economic ladder.
Up until two years ago, I too had a similar perception of aloofness towards this community but I have been proven completely wrong when I had a chance to interact with them during one of my visits to the much famous Shankhumugham beach in Trivandrum. Actually I was skeptical at first, when I offered my helping hand to pull out a fishing net laid overnight by a few fishermen over the vast Shankhumugham Sea. But later, it proved to be an experience of a life time. It gave me a fascinating insight into how tough, hard and tumultuous is the life of a fisherman. Cresting the waves at the crack of dawn, some of the fishermen would venture out in a couple of boats into the rough sea with their fishing net loaded in one boat. Half a kilometer off the shore they spread out the net floating over a large area and head back to the beach with each boat hauling a long rope from each end of the net. Then they slowly start pulling the net from the two sides. This is of course the most stressful and hardest part of the whole process. The nets are so big and heavy that it takes almost an hour or two for some thirty to forty fishermen to haul it to the shore. They pull the net in a rhythmic manner so that when both parties come close by, the net forms the shape of a circle. Then they would pull together the heaviest part of the net with the fish inside. Sometimes fortune smiles on them with plenty of catch while at other they have to return home empty handed. Theirs is a daily struggle with the rough sea to earn their livelihood. I remember, an old man named Joseph sung a beautiful fisherman folk song for me that day, linking with traditional gestures, with melody and with rhythm that harmonized with the sound of the waves. It was a wonderful experience for me, hearing the fishermen folk song against the magnificent backdrop of the roaring sea. He also told me some very interesting facts about sea and fishing. While leaving, they offered me some fish which I politely declined. It was a memorable day for me and my two sons who were also involved in assisting the fishermen.
Those moments made me aware of the amazing bond between them and how they work in unison to achieve the objectives. No surprise, they came, they saw, they conquered many hearts in this time of crisis. The People of Kerala should never forget the services, these fishermen bestowed upon them.
Few photographs........ !