CINI logo help the mother help the child
   twitter facebook YouTube 
   

Content on this page requires a newer version of Adobe Flash Player.

Get Adobe Flash player
 
sign up for newsletter
       
What we do
orange stripe decoration
Sponsor a Mother
What we do - project reports
 
 
           
 
 

CINI UK logo
Progress Report
Cyclone Aila Relief work

May 25th -   5th August 2009


The Situation on the Ground



On 25 th May 2009 Cyclone Aila hit India and Bangladesh.  

Due to a depression in the Bay of Bengal, a cyclone struck the south east of India. Coastal areas were the worst affected.

CINI's relief work focused on Moipith Island, situated in the remote low-lying Sunderbans region where waves, winds and flood-waters washed away the mud walls and foundations of homes.

On Moipith Island at least 1,500 houses were completely destroyed and a further 6,000 were badly damaged.

Drinking water was contaminated with salt water and sewage. Families fleeing the cyclone were left without food or possessions.   More than 8000 acres of agricultural land was submerged and thousands of cattle, goats, sheep and chickens were drowned 		      map of cyclone's path

Objectives of immediate relief work

  1. To provide food and establish community kitchens for those displaced by the cyclone
  2. To prevent the spread of diarrhoea in the affected population
  3. To provide temporary shelter for the victims


Relief work undertaken

relief worker standing in front of sacks
Relief worker (Abinash Gine) with supplies of protective waterproof sheeting for cyclone victims
      Water borne diseases have been controlled by supplying water purifying tablets, helping to provide access to safe drinking water for 20,000 people.

CINI has also provided medication, via local health staff to prevent the spread of diarrhoea.   Advice has been given to the displaced communities about simple hygiene measures to reduce the risk of ill health.   This is especially important for the young and old, as well as pregnant women.   Outreach camps have been established to help with preventative and treatment work.

woman being given plastic sheeting
A woman receives protective sheeting from which a tent can be erected
      CINI provided food for community kitchens, serving two nutritious meals a day to those who have had to flee to safety without their belongings.   These kitchens are being managed by the Panchayat (the local government) and a local NGO, and have provided sustenance for at least 3,000 people.

CINI has provided temporary protective waterproof sheeting to families in the affected area to erect tents.   A total of 150 sheets have been distributed, each of which is big enough to provide shelter for a typical extended family of seven people. At least 1,000 people, whose homes have been destroyed or badly damaged, have been given shelter.

Sleeping mats and cooking pots have been supplied to 400 of the families worst hit by the cyclone, many of whom had lost all their possessions.

These items have given families a way to sleep comfortably and the facilities to cook at their time of need. 		     

A woman receives kitchen utensils and a sleeping mat


Cyclone Aila: The human cost

Ajit Shaw

 "My cattle have drowned and the saline water has flooded my fields, making them infertile," says Ajit Shaw, sitting in his makeshift home, a small boat, with his 14-year-old daughter, Lalita. Everything, including his house, has been washed away. Each night they sleep in the boat.

Just a few months ago, Ajit had enrolled Lalita into a local school, after bringing her home from Kolkata, where she worked as a child labourer. "I had hoped I could give her a better future."

Ajit is thankful that at least they have access to safe drinking water and can eat a meal at a nearby community kitchen, opened with CINI's help. They will also receive protective sheeting from which to build a temporary shelter from the rain until Ajit has been able to rebuild their home. Ongoing support will be given to the family by the local NGO and government, which are now working on income generation schemes, helping people who have lost everything to get their lives back on track.

 The family of Gouranga Sahoo

A resident of village Nagenabad under Maipith-Baikunthapur Gram Panchayat has been living in this village for the last 48 years. He is an agricultural labourer and has a small amount of agricultural land. Gouranga is the main bread winner in his family of five. Cyclone Aila made his family homeless. CINI has provided help including ingredients for cooking (rice, lentils, vegetables, spices, oil) and cooking pots, so that the family can feed themselves. He expresses his feelings in his own words:

"It was really a great opportunity for all of us in my family to have CINI's help during this time. We received food for a week for the whole of our family in our time of need. We thank CINI and all others associated with this organisation for their support towards mankind".

 

 



See here for a printable version of this report (Word doc)

up arrow decoration top

back to What we do



        
 
 
     Sitemap  |  Privacy policy  |  Links        
CINI, 11 Mowll Street, London, SW9 6BG | info@cini.org.uk | tel: 020 7582 1400 | registered charity 1092674