Recently, Cyclone Gaja made its landfall between Nagapattinam and Vedaranyam in Tamil Nadu. Click here to know more.
The extent of damage caused by Cyclone Gaja is much worse than what was believed earlier and thus calls for an integrated relief effort.
How severe is the disaster?
The impact was not considered to have been this severe in the initial days after the cyclone stuck as the death toll was relatively low.
But Cyclone Gaja is a major disaster, and its economic impact in Tamil Nadu is comparable to that of the tsunami of 2004.
People - The suffering, the loss, and the displacement are of an enormous magnitude.
People are distraught as houses have collapsed, farms lie ruined, water sources are contaminated and electricity supply remains disrupted.
The Tamil Nadu government has estimated the number of people rendered homeless at 3.7 lakh, and houses destroyed at 3.4 lakh.
Livelihoods - The cyclone has crippled agriculture and livelihoods, felling thousands of productive trees and killing livestock.
The districts of Tiruvarur, Nagapattinam, Thanjavur and Pudukottai are the severely affected.
These are the fertile Cauvery delta districts which are considered the granary of the state of Tamil Nadu.
The cyclone swept in wind and water, destroying lakhs of trees.
These include commercial coconut, banana, cashew, mango, jackfruit, casuarina, betelvine, eucalyptus, teak and sugarcane on thousands of hectares.
Between 60% and 80% of the coconut trees in the region have fallen.
Notably, these contribute a quarter of India’s coconuts with the highest unit yield.
Unlike paddy or many other crops, bringing coconut plantations back to life will take years.
The paddy crop of the samba/thaladi seasons was also damaged in some places.
Boats and huts of fishermen were destroyed. Nearly a lakh tonne of stocks in salt pans in Vedaranyam in Nagapattinam district were washed away.
Ecosystem - The Point Calimere Wildlife Sanctuary, a Ramsar site (a wetland of international importance for conservation), was ravaged.
Carcasses of blackbuck, spotted deer, feral horses and birds were washed on the shores of Karaikal in Puducherry.
What lies ahead?
Infrastructure - Tamil Nadu government's top priority should be to restore administrative systems and service delivery in the affected areas.
Many areas still remain inaccessible because fallen trees have blocked roads.
Physical access, electricity connections and public health facilities are essential for effective relief work to be undertaken.
Compensation - The farm insurance under Centre’s Fasal Bima Yojana covers only food crops, oilseeds and annual horticultural crops.
But many of the farmers have invested in various trees and livestock, expecting long-term returns.
The large number of stricken farmers should thus be assured of a moratorium on any agricultural loans that they have taken.
A fair and special compensation scheme should be prepared.
The state government has given the Centre a memorandum seeking nearly Rs. 15,000 crore for restoration, rehabilitation and mitigation, besides Rs. 1,431 crore for immediate relief work.
The State’s requirements should be met in full.
Source: The Hindu
Quick Fact
Pradhan Mantri Fasal Bima Yojana
The Pradhan Mantri Fasal Bima Yojana (Prime Minister's Crop Insurance Scheme) was launched in 2016.
It envisages a uniform premium of only 2% to be paid by farmers for Kharif crops and 1.5% for Rabi crops.
The premium for annual commercial and horticultural crops will be 5%.
