National

Katchal — now a picture of devastation

By Aarti Dhar

A scene inside an abandoned house in Mus village. — Photo: Aarti Dhar

NICOBAR ISLANDS, FEB. 17. At sunrise on January 1, 2000, picturesque Katchal island was in the news. Many rich and famous people from around the world had converged on it for a glimpse of the millennium's first sunrise.

The island is once again in the news. This time, for the wrong reason. The tsunami of December 26, 2004, devastated it, disturbing the socio-economic set-up of its tribes. Of the 5,000 people missing in the Andaman and Nicobar Islands, 1,549 are from Katchal. There is not a single teacher; all the 47 posted here were washed away by the waves and the two schools have been converted into relief camps.

Of the 344 people reported dead, only one body could be identified. Either the bodies were decomposed beyond recognition or there were no survivors to claim them.

Tribals leaderless

Almost all the tribal chiefs and their heirs have been killed, leaving the tribals virtually headless. According to initial estimates, 112 hectares of land has been rendered useless due to salination, and 3.54 lakh coconut and an equal number of supari (betel nut) trees destroyed. The agriculture pattern on the island has to be changed to promote vegetable, spices and banana cultivation as a coconut tree takes about seven years to yield income.

The nearby Trinket island is now divided into three. Tsunami waves came over it on December 26 and it was submerged under water for several days. It had two villages — Trinket and Safed Balu with an estimated population of 475. The total number of dead or missing is 102, survivors 374 — all of whom were rescued from the sea. Since the island is not safe any more, the locals want to settle in Kamorta.

Going by the extent of disaster, the Centre proposes to give Rs. 900 crores initially for relief and rehabilitation. However, the amount could go up, the Union Home Minister, Shivraj Patil, told reporters during his visit to the island. This excludes the cost of the proposed hi-technology equipment for the tsunami warning system.

Helipad in each island

Announcing that all 38 inhabited islands would have a helipad, Mr. Patil said that better communication was necessary. Admitting that the distance from the mainland and lack of communication facilities was a problem, he said 22,000 men from the armed forces were involved in the relief operations, 10,000 for Katchal alone. As many as 40 aircraft and 40 ships rescued people and ferried supplies to the island. So far 1,529 tonnes of food materials, 1,161 tonnes of drinking water, 500 generators and thousands of tents have been sent to the islands.

"The temporary shelters will be ready by April 15 though permanent housing will take longer as it involves planning. Roorkee University is being consulted for designing the houses," he said.

© Copyright 2000 - 2009 The Hindu