THIRUVANANTHAPURAM: Adverse weather conditions and incessant cyclone threats continue to disrupt the daily lives of fisherfolk in the district.While the ban on fishing activities ahead of Cyclone Burevi has left them in the lurch, a plethora of worries -- ranging from drinking water shortage to lack of housing and means of livelihood and survival -- surround fishers
At a time when the entire coastal belt in the capital is bracing for Cyclone Burevi, 62-year-old Annakutty from Valiyathura is struggking to shake off the trauma of Cyclone Ockhi which ravaged her life and the Kerala coast nearly three years ago. Ockhi, which claimed the lives of 143 fishermen in the state, left a lasting impact on fisherfolk. “My husband was left stranded in the sea when the cyclone came and he never returned,” says Annakutty. Ever since the tragedy, her life has been miserable. Though the state government has come up with a relief package, a large number of affected families are yet to get the benefits.
“The government is yet to hand over B20 lakh announced for the families of those who lost their lives during Ockhi. This relief fund is mobilised through contributions from kind-hearted people but the government has only given us the interest obtained.
I get B3,500 every month from the state treasury which is insufficient. My application for pension was also rejected as I couldn’t procure the death certificate of my husband whose body was never recovered,” says Annakutty, whose son is yet to get the job promised by the government. Like Annakutty, there are 91 other families whose loved ones went missing in the sea during Ockhi. Only 53 out of the total 143 fishermen who ventured into the sea were reportedly recovered.
Water everywhere, not a drop to drink
Fifty-two-year-old Rubel J, who was seen quarrelling with a friend near her battered home in Valiyathura, is irked not because of the cyclone threat but because of the lack of drinking water. “I’ve lived near the sea all my life and the storm alerts are a daily affair now. Currently, we have no water supply.
The authorities have restricted us from venturing into the sea which equates to zero food supply,” she says.The prohibition order on fishing has come as a huge blow to the displaced families residing at the relief camp at Valiyathura UP school.
Sixty-four-year-old Jacinta and her family have been residing there for the past four years. “This is our fifth year in this camp. We are surviving on an insufficient ration,” she says. “My son is the sole breadwinner of this family and for the past three days he couldn’t go fishing because of the ban,” says Jacinta, who used to live at a rented home which was destroyed in sea erosion in 2016.
“My bedridden husband passed away in the camp. But I haven’t been rehabilitated yet as I didn’t own the previous house, as per the authorities. Also, I’ve been given the white APL card as I was told the yellow card was unavailable. For the past two years I have been trying to get my name removed from the APL list so that my family gets more benefits,” she adds.