Kolkata: Already reeling under the pressure of an increase in Covid-19 cases, the state faced one of the worst storms in over 250 years. The 1999 super cyclone had ravaged Odisha and still sends cold shivers down the spines of many. The official figures had put the casualty figures at 9,887 then. Unofficial figures were a staggering 30,000.
Much time has passed since then and the cyclone warning system as well as disaster preparedness mechanism have also undergone a sea-change. But, what happened in the afternoon of May 20 was beyond the fathomable imagination of most. Neither the state government of West Bengal and the Centre, nor its people imagined what was in store for them as cyclone Amphan gradually progressed from the Bay of Bengal towards the Sunderbans.
The Union Health Ministry puts the figure of Covid-19 related deaths at 259 in the state, with 3,197 people affected due to the virus. The state government has already started receiving train and bus loads of migrant workers from other states, who also pose a clear threat of an increase in the number of Covid 19 cases in West Bengal.
The state is one of few states in the country, where from the annual migration to other states as well as migrant labour force to other states, are one of the highest. The return of these people had already put the state government in a fix on how to quarantine such a large number of people and also contain the spread of the virus.
The state's public health mechanism has already been stretched and gnawing gaps and faultlines were visible to one and all. Shortage of PPEs, doctors, trained nurses and health infrastructure of West Bengal have been under the scanner for some time, so was also the way the state government handled the issue. The Opposition has been trying to corner the Mamata Banerjee-government for being lackadaisical in handling the Covid-19 situation.
Amid that, came cyclone Amphan.
As gale winds started battering the coastline of Digha, Shankarpur and Tajpur in Purba Medinipur district, Mamata Banerjee was in the central control room at the state secretariat Nabanna. But, the cyclone had other plans. It made landfall shortly after 2.30 pm on May 20 and as it crossed the Sunderbans, the rich biodiversity of the delta region was literally wiped out.
Bund after bund in rural South 24 Parganas district collapsed like a pack of cards. Wind speed was touching the 190 kmph mark, something which was way severe than what happened in cyclone Aila of 2009 and the twin cyclones of 2019 – Bulbul and Fani.
The ravaging Amphan slowly and steadily progressed to Kolkata and by late afternoon, hissing winds of above 130 kmph was lashing DumDum NSCB International Airport area. Rains lashed the capital of the East as tidal waves surged in the Hooghly river. Kolkata was locked in their homes, praying desperately.
So was Mamata Banerjee at the control room. All she could do was witness the naked dance of nature, creating mayhem across the City of Joy. As the night progressed and the power supply was disconnected, the city plunged into darkness. Only howling winds and incessant rains remained as witnesses of cyclone Amphan and its fierceness.
The day broke with shrill cries of despair ringing from the rural hamlets of Sunderbans to the posh Kolkata neighbourhoods, which were turned overnight into a ghost town. A spellbound Mamata had already said 72 people had perished in the cyclone and the districts of South and North 24 Parganas had ceased to exist in their earlier forms. The casualty figures have steadily climbed to 86.
For the record, standing cash crops of mango, litchi, betel leaves, jute, sesame seeds and vegetables were just wiped out. Fruits over 16,500 hectares were lost and crops, including paddy, in over 1.58 lakh hectares were damaged.
West Bengal agriculture department officials said, though 76.5 per cent of Boro paddy crop had already been harvested, yet waterlogging in the fields posed a serious threat to the ripe crop, which was harvested and kept on the fields before shifting to warehouses. A disaster, which came riding on the back of the already disrupted supply chain due to the Covid-19 pandemic.
Record books also show that cyclone Amphan can only be compared to that of the extreme severe cyclonic storm of 1737, when the lashing winds between October 7 and 12 wiped out an estimated population of 3 lakh in Bengal. This time, Mamata has described the damage as “more than a national disaster with 6 crore people being affected.”
The Prime Minister has sanctioned Rs 1,000 crore relief package and the state government has also formed a Rs 1,000 crore fund for relief, rehabilitation and reconstruction works in the devastated zone, which is spread across 400 kms.
But, what happens to social distancing and the looming threat of Covid-19 lurking in the corners? How will people again pick up things and start life amid this pandemic? What happens to the hapless farmers who were already stressed due to the lockdown and have lost their moorings completely in this cyclone? What happens to the thousands of migrant labourers returning? Will they get work in the state for sustenance? The questions will keep Mamata Banerjee busy for quite some time.
Again, for the record, the 2009 cyclonic storm Aila had not impacted much of Kolkata. But, it had created mayhem in the districts of North and South 24 Parganas, Purba Medinipur and Howrah. Those were the waning days of the Left Front in West Bengal. When the 2011 Assembly election votes were counted, the Left Front was simply wiped out from these districts.
Protests have already started in several corners of Kolkata and the affected districts as power and water supply have not been restored in most localities. With the crucial state elections due next year and the Opposition BJP leaving no stones unturned to corner Trinamool Congress, the Amphan-stricken Bengal Chief Minister's hands are literally full.
Also Read: Bengal Calls For Army Support For Restoring Infrastructure Hit By Cyclone
