PRESS RELEASE
 


2 nd June.09 Kolkata: The South Asian Forum for Environment, SAFE is working towards environmental conservation and sustainable development in the Indian eco-region, SAFE successfully completed India's first Bio-rights project in East Kolkata Wetlands, a threatened Ramsar site of West Bengal, currently in collaboration with Nabard, SAFE is developing the gene bank of endemic fishes in the East Kolkata Wetlands and extends its work to Sunderbans and other important Indian eco-region.

On May 29 th , Aila cyclone catastrophe dazes West Bengals, only, world heritage site, Sunderbans with an estimated 5.1 million people homeless and 20,000 people are traceless, and now the situation rising to be worse with the tidal waves during the full moon, on 6 th June 2009.

However, the biggest challenge and the need of the hour are the medical support and providing drinking water to the worst effected villages of Sunderbans. A team of SAFE comprising of 18 members is currently running a mobile medical camp on a boat and has already covered villages like Lahiripur, Jameshpur, Luxebagan, Chandipur, Jhatirampur, Satjelia and Bali providing life saving drugs and other medical aids to the worst effected people of these villages. While carrying out the medical camps, SAFE team did a disaster mitigation survey.

The Disaster Mitigation Survey done by the SAFE team, among the inhabitants in the villages as mentioned above observes the following: In brief:

  1. In rapid sampling it has been found that 67 percent of the victims are suffering from enteric infection and diarrhea, 18 percent are victims of mainly snake bites, dog bites, and accidental injuries, 9 percent suffering from skin infection, and 6 percent from other diseases.
  2. Tremendous fear psychosis among the inhabitants for the outbreak of enteric epidemic diseases.
  3. Acute crisis of drinking water, supply of drinking water is completely cut off and the local pumps are clogged with mud.
  4. Acute crisis of baby food.
  5. Increasing demand of medical relief, which is still inadequate. Only approximately 30-35 percent of the victims have access to relief support system.
  6. There is no disaster preparedness among the people for the next catastrophe to take place due to the lunar high tide locally known as Bhora kotal.
  7. There is severe increase in cases of psychological trauma and children are more vulnerable to such cases.
  8. Inhabitants have lost faith and assurance on social security and administration.

Based on the above survey report, SAFE has undertaken the following steps:

  1. Mobile first aid and dispensing launch to petrol in the area during high tide time.
  2. Providing supply of baby food and other children protection aids.
  3. On board OPD for attending victims of injury and animal bites.
  4. Providing life saving drug and saline drip for epidemic victims
  5. Counseling and disaster mitigation assistance for environmental refugees.
  6. Networking with local administration, national and international organizations and community based relief workers for holistic disaster mitigation in the hour of crisis.
  7. Providing free mobile phone calling service for emergency requirements of victims.

The voluntary agencies and volunteers are facing the trouble to access worst hit areas and due to law and order problems, lack of cooperation from the local administration and resource crunch.

SAFE would continue doing the service across the high tide time as the criticality of the disaster would be more intense during this time. 2 nd SAFE team will be leaving on 6 th of June for supporting the first team with more medicine and help. We invite volunteers to help us in this mission. Please contact our Team Leader Mr Chiranjeet Chatterjee on 9804845755 or jeetsafe@gmail.com.

We appeal to you to help us with more resource, medicines funds and support to save the World Heritage site and its people. For any other detailed information contact the following officer of SAFE

•  Ms Amrita Chatterjee: 9836063759

South Asian Forum for Environment