Daily Covid cases drop but positivity rate up at 40% : Goa News

Climate change raises need for quicker relief mechanisms

Times of India | 4 days ago | 17-05-2022 | 12:57 am

Times of India

4 days ago | 17-05-2022 | 12:57 am

Panaji: The trail of destruction left behind by Cyclone Tauktae this time last year can be grasped from the fact that in South Goa alone state aid has been disbursed to 594 claimants. Of these cases, two were deaths and an amount of Rs 86.4 lakh was provided in all to the 594 affected persons, South Goa collector Jyoti Kumari told TOI. The damage was much bigger and had to be altogether estimated at Rs 146 crore by chief minister Pramod Sawant. The North Goa collectorate is yet to compile relief amounts disbursed in the district. “No houses were rebuilt in South Goa. Five were repaired. But the government disbursed Rs 2 lakh assistance ex-gratia each for a pucca structure and Rs 1 lakh each for a kutcha house,” Kumari said. The affected largely carried out rebuilding work on their homes with government aid. As Cyclone Tauktae passed along Goa’s coast in mid-May of 2021, it left behind uprooted trees and electricity poles, cracked houses and opened roofs. But, more importantly, the natural calamity wreaked lives. Meteorologist M R Ramesh Kumar has estimated that with climate change we can expect more cyclones originating in the Arabian Sea rather than just the Bay of Bengal. Earlier, cyclone-related damage was mostly borne by the coastal communities on the east coast, but last year, stakeholders on the west coast also suffered. The Goa Coastal Zone Management Authority (GCZMA) provided over Rs 11 lakh in relief to 61 traditional fishermen living along the coast of Canacona, Mormugao, Bardez and Pernem, where Cyclone Tauktae wreaked havoc. The fishermen found their gill nets, beach huts and equipment in shambles. “Earlier, we could predict the direction of the winds, but over the years, as climate change takes place, it is difficult to tell what will hit us,” said a 45-year-old traditional fisherman from Morjim, Bhima Pednekar. The aid from the state in a record time of three weeks from the cyclone meant the world to those affected, like Pednekar. “The fisheries department has all our nets, canoes registered, but they asked for a long list of documents, including photos of the damage. This is our fate usually. I joined the occupation at the age of 15. For the first time, I saw aid come so quickly,” said Pednekar. A traditional fisherman from Cola, Canacona, said that rise in water levels is now seen frequently along the coast. “There is a lot of manmade damage along the coast and we often witness water levels rising much above the high tide line in the monsoon. I have applied for government aid several times before, too. But, last year, for the first time, I actually received the aid. As there is change in climate, a faster relief mechanism really helps people like us,” said the fisherman. Environment minister Nilesh Cabral said that he will ensure that his ministry is quick to extend similar support to all traditional communities living along the coast to cover any similar damages.

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