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Cithara Paul
Cithara Paul

CYCLONE OCKHI

Storm and stress: How Ockhi has scarred Kerala's fishermen

63-Cyclone-Ockhi Agony of loss: Victims of Cyclone Ockhi at St Thomas church, Poonthura, near Thiruvananthapuram | Rinkuraj Mattancheriyil

Traumatised by Ockhi, fishermen are unwilling to return to sea

  • “This is a new life for me. It is God’s gift. I will not risk it again by going to the sea.” - Clement Benjilas, fisherman from Poonthura, who survived in the deep sea for more than a day

  • “People think we are silly, uneducated people. It is true that we are quite emotional and cannot resist the call of the sea even if we are educated. But to call us emotional fools is too much.” - Augustus, a fisherman from Vizhinjam

The chairs are of deep colours—red, blue and green—and they look stark in contrast to the dreariness and the eerie silence around. These plastic chairs, which dot the cyclone-ravaged coasts of southern Kerala and Tamil Nadu, are symbols of hope for the local people. On them sit relatives and friends of those who are yet to come back from sea. They keep on staring fervently at the endless vastness of kadalamma, the mother sea, looking for any signs of their loved ones. Behind them are banners carrying the photographs of the missing men. Nearly three weeks have passed after Cyclone Ockhi turned their life upside down, but these chairs are rarely empty. But it may remain so only till Christmas.

For every fisherman will come home on Christmas—if he is alive. If the missing ones are not back even on Christmas eve, then it only means one thing...,’’ said Father Peter Darwin of Vallavilai village in Kanyakumari district of Tamil Nadu. He did not dare to complete that sentence.

Those sitting on similar chairs in Poonthura in Kerala, too, have similar words. “If they are alive, our men will be here for Christmas,’’ said Stella Mary whose three family members are missing since November 30, when Ockhi developed into a major cyclone off the southwestern coast of India.

As many as 527 fishermen are missing from Kerala and Tamil Nadu—300 from Kerala and 227 from Kanyakumari district in Tamil Nadu, according to official figures. But fishermen groups and the catholic church say more than 1,000 people are missing. As of December 19, the death toll in Kerala is 70 and it is 40 in Tamil Nadu.

Those who managed to come back—some landed at coasts as far as in Maharashtra—spoke about bodies floating in the sea. None of them have recovered from the shock. “I cannot tell you how scary the sea was at that time. I still can’t sleep at night,’’ said Clement Benjilas from Poonthura near Thiruvananthapuram, who survived in the deep sea for more than a day. Another survivor shudders as he recalls how he tied his friend’s decaying body to his leg while being lifted up by a naval helicopter.

66-Narendra-Modi Support and solace: Prime Minister Narendra Modi visiting cyclone victims in Thiruvananthapuram along with Kerala Chief Minister Pinarayi Vijayan (right) and Union Minister Alphons Kannanthanam (centre) | B. Jayachandran

Some feel they did not do enough to save their dear ones. “We made a big mistake by trusting the government. We did not venture out at the earliest,” said Ratheesh from Poonthura, whose two close friends are still missing. “Now we feel we should have gone searching for them on the first day itself,” he said. Shaan Clement, another survivor, said, “I feel I did not do enough for them. I will never recover from this guilt.’’

The survivors blamed the Navy and the Coast Guard for stopping them from going in search of survivors. “They assured us that they would go and save those at sea. But they were lying. We even pleaded with them to let us use their boats but they cited official reasons as excuses. By the time we could venture into the sea, many lives were lost. Those who dragged their feet are responsible for the deaths,’’ said Shaan, who is from Poonthura.

“The Navy, with its helicopters and high-end vessels, could have easily saved the lives of these poor fishermen. But they did not. Are the lives of these fishermen so worthless for our government?’’ asked Father Peter. As many as 112 people are missing from his village.

As the government agencies dithered, it was the fisherfolk who ventured into the sea in search of their brethren. “We found bodies floating around. Some had died barely hours back. If the Navy and the Coast Guard had acted on time, they could have been saved,’’ said Father Justin Jude, vicar of the Poonthura Church.

The fishermen blame the Central and the state governments equally. “The Indian Meteorological Department under the Central government failed miserably to alert the state government and the state government failed further in deciphering whatever vague alerts the IMD had sent,’’ said T. Peter, leader of the National Fishworkers Forum. He said it was time the IMD went beyond the “it may or may not rain’’ predictions.

64-Rinkuraj-Mattancheriyil Rinkuraj Mattancheriyil

“On most days, the IMD sends out alerts saying that there is possibility of heavy rains and thunderstorms in the sea. But IMD predictions are rarely correct. Hence all of us take those alerts lightly. The Central government must see to it that the predictions are accurate. But, for that, one needs to value the lives of the poor fishermen,’’ said Thadevus, a fisherman from Vizhinjam, near Thiruvananthapuram.

The Congress MP from Thiruvananthapuram, Shashi Tharoor, wrote to Prime Minister Narendra Modi about the lapses of the IMD. “There are three basic failings in the government’s response: the cyclone warning was delayed; the warning, when it came, was ineffective because it could not be conveyed to thousands of fisherfolk who were already out at sea; and once the cyclone struck, there was no war-like mobilisation and action, which are the hallmarks of good disaster management,’’ he wrote.

The speed at which Ockhi gathered strength was something the government agencies failed to assess and anticipate. Cyclone Ockhi’s devastation started within 12 hours of the first “rough seas” warning which was put out on November 29. Normally, it takes at least 24 hours for a cyclone to develop from the “deep depression” stage. This is the main reason for an unusually high number of casualties.

“Everybody loves fish; but nobody likes fishermen,’’ is a refrain that is often heard in the coastal areas these days. “People think we are silly, uneducated people. It is true that we are quite emotional and cannot resist the call of the sea even if we are educated. But to call us emotional fools is too much,’’ said Augustus, a fisherman from Vizhinjam. He was referring to the comments made by Kerala Fisheries Minister J. Mercykutty Amma, who said fishermen were hyperemotional.

For the family members of those who are still missing, the uncertainty is heartbreaking. Selvi, 28, from Poonthura, continues to wait for her husband. “How can he leave these little ones and just go,’’ she asked, pointing to her four daughters aged between four and ten. “I have told them that their papa will be back for Christmas,’’ she said.

64-Clement-Benjilas Clement Benjilas

And, the ones who survived remain unemployed. “Our men have not gone to the sea after the cyclone. How will we feed our children? How are we supposed to live?’’ asked Flory from Poonthura. Father Justin said the government should support the survivors. The Kerala government has announced Rs 20 lakh for the dependants of the deceased. Tamil Nadu, too, has announced similar compensation. But the money is yet to be disbursed.

The Kerala government has provided Rs 2,000 to every family in the affected areas and is also providing free rice. But Poonthura residents said the rice was inedible. “They are dumping low quality rice. Moreover, how can one sustain on this rice alone?’’ asked Margerita. “Going to the sea is the toughest task on earth and our men do that every day to feed us. They cannot survive on this plain rice,’’ she added.

Many in the coastal belt are suffering from severe psychological trauma. There have been many suicide attempts since Ockhi. “Many are under severe depression. Family members of many dead fishermen are experiencing severe guilt as they feel they died for them,’’ said Rose, a school teacher from Poonthura, whose brother lost his life.

Chennai-based documentary maker Divya Bharathi, who is recording the lives of the fishermen post Ockhi in Kanyakumari and Thiruvananthapuram, said, “When as many as 112 people go missing from a small village, you can imagine the trauma of those who are left behind.”

Many say Ockhi, suspected to be caused by climate change, is just the beginning of something bad. “Of late, there have been drastic changes in the sea in terms of the quantum and quality of fishes, wave and wind patterns, flora and fauna. All these are because of climate change and global warming, and the fishermen are the primary victims. Ockhi is just a beginning,’’ said Father Peter.

After visiting the cyclone-affected areas, Congress president Rahul Gandhi wrote to Modi about setting up a separate Central ministry for fisheries to coordinate all fishing activity. Another measure would be to provide all fishermen with high frequency communication devices. The fishermen also want some of them to be inducted into the Coast Guard as they feel no one else understands the sea like them.

The destruction caused by Ockhi has resulted in a war of words between the Central and the state governments. While the IMD said alerts were issued on time, both Kerala and Tamil Nadu made it clear that none of the standard operating procedures during cyclones, including alerting the chief secretaries and holding news conferences, were followed by the IMD.

Modi visited the affected areas on December 19, and promised all help to bring back the missing fishermen before Christmas.

Even as the political blame goes on, the victims are staring at a bleak future. “Those who have managed to come back are scared to go to the sea as most of them witnessed their friends getting drowned,’’ said Johny Chinnappan, parish secretary at Poonthura. Clement, who beat death by tying plastic cans on his hand, said he did not want to go back. “This is a new life for me,” said the 65-year-old who started fishing at the age of 12. “It is God’s gift. I will not risk it again by going to the sea.”

And, the women continue to wait for their men to celebrate Christmas. That is the only day the women here are allowed to go to the deep sea. They even get to swim in the sea that night. Till Christmas, those plastic chairs will be there. So does hope.

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The Week

Topics : #Kerala | #Tamil Nadu

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