☑ Disclaimer: This is a long post. Kindly read through and connect with me on DM if you want to ask any queries and/or like to contribute. ThanQ.
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🌊 Disastrous Floods of Kerala – The Inside Story and An Appeal 🙏🏻
🙇♂ While the debate and blame games are going on, the survivors and the families of the victims are yet in a state of shock and awaiting support for their sustainability in the days to come. I get shattered by the thought of sleeping and surviving without a roof that has been taken off my head. My dear friends over there are actually experiencing what I am merely thinking about.
🤕 The recent visit to Kerala was indeed shocking but had an inner relief in the subconscious that I am safe (Ironical, but true). I can only feel a little of what they must be actually going through, but it is experienced only by those and hence, I can no way express the pain and suffering.
⛈ Backdrop: It began to rain heavily on the 15th of August and this is normal for the inhabitants. What went crazily wild was the high tide, unstoppable rains and the opening of the dams that resulted in a disaster for many parts of the state. Fire can be controlled by Water but how can one control the persistent flow of water? ⛈
🌌 Situation: Thousands of families got affected, of which a huge number of people lost everything and for many, most of the stuff in the homes got damaged. The farmers and the ones who rely on the agriculture oriented income encountered a significant setback as the crops and trees succumbed to the untiring attack of Water. Vehicles were damaged and Animals got washed away. Besides, a terrible loss to the public infrastructure viz. Roads, Schools, Offices and Vegetation was experienced.
➡ Immediate Action: Firstly, the villagers came to each other’s rescue and it was a great display of unity. Navy extended a great help by getting into the affected areas through boats and saving human beings and animals. The fishermen community triggered prompt action from their end and most of the people I met conveyed that this act actually saved thousands. The NGOs all over the nation became active and a huge amount of food, medicines, groceries, clothes, utensils and other relief material was sent in by all the possible modes of transport.
⚓ Execution: With a detailed plan, the team initiated work in all the directions. Firstly, a crew of 5 members travelled to Cochin where they met the local Jain community that has 800 members. From Mumbai, a fund of 10 lakh rupees was mobilised to the community. More than 100 volunteers started working on the survival kit for the nearby areas that were heavily affected. They travelled in tall vehicles to the nearest possible location and from there they took boats and reached out to the houses for the relief activities. In one week, 32 tons of stuff – Groceries, Medicines, Clothes and Utensils – was purchased and collected through the participation of few NGOs and direct contributions. Everything was loaded in the parcel wagon of the train that flagged off on 25th of August with 5 more members from the NGO. This train reached on the next day and through multiple trucks, the distribution activities were resumed. A team of 3 people (including me) reached Calicut on the 29th of August.
1⃣ Waynad (29/Aug): One of the most affected areas, located at 700 metres above the sea-level. More than the water, the disaster was due to the landslides through the muddy mountains. Waynad district is a home to tribal community of Kerala. They drink mountain water that would run through their taps. With this calamity, the pipeline system was broken. We met few people in village who have become homeless and moreover, lost their source of income as the taxis they were driving were damaged and crops on the fields on which they were working got washed off. On immediate basis, they need the pipeline system with overhead tanks to be made. Also, they are looking for a small set-up wherein women can and are willing to work to earn some income to gradually recover the losses incurred.
2⃣ Trichur (30/Aug): We visited the 3 most affected areas of the district. The river that barely had few feet of water had scaled up to tens of feet and the water embraced the entire area including several villages and settlements. We got into many houses and the condition was shockingly painful. Many lost their cattle too. Cattle is the source of income for a maximum residents of that area. One of the bigger villages was home to 1300 families, and over 1000 families were shattered badly. The main requirement there was cattle so that they can get back to the business at the earliest. Also, due to a lot of damage in vegetation, fodder for the survived lot of cattle is a dire need for their sustainability. Schools need to be reconstructed and the kids need stationery kits.
3⃣ Trivandrum (31/Aug): The primary agenda was to meet the representatives of the administration. We had quite an insightful multiple rounds of discussion with the Chief Minister, Minister for Agriculture, several other ministers and the Principal Secretary for General Administration. The discussion was around the actual calamity, preparedness, failures, rehabilitation, support and current proceedings. Most importantly, had a word with the Principal Secretary who focussed on the requirements related to the education. Approximately, 3 lakh kids are affected, of which nearly 1.5 lakh kids come under the poverty line. We need to channelize our effort for helping those kids with the school related kits.
4⃣ Cochin (1/Sep): We had a similar experience like what we encountered at Trichur. A lot of damage to the houses and their lands has happened. We did visit a couple of schools that were in a deadly state. All the furniture and equipment was extremely damaged.
📢 Appeal: Our main focus currently is on sustainability and hence we want to make a sincere request and a humble appeal to come forward and support for the reconstruction of water supply at the Waynad district and the school kits for the kids. You may want to help with sponsorships, contacts, sharing your wallets, sharing the experience and spreading the word. 📢
Please contact me for more details. ThanQ so much.
-----------------------------------------
🌊 Disastrous Floods of Kerala – The Inside Story and An Appeal 🙏🏻
🙇♂ While the debate and blame games are going on, the survivors and the families of the victims are yet in a state of shock and awaiting support for their sustainability in the days to come. I get shattered by the thought of sleeping and surviving without a roof that has been taken off my head. My dear friends over there are actually experiencing what I am merely thinking about.
🤕 The recent visit to Kerala was indeed shocking but had an inner relief in the subconscious that I am safe (Ironical, but true). I can only feel a little of what they must be actually going through, but it is experienced only by those and hence, I can no way express the pain and suffering.
⛈ Backdrop: It began to rain heavily on the 15th of August and this is normal for the inhabitants. What went crazily wild was the high tide, unstoppable rains and the opening of the dams that resulted in a disaster for many parts of the state. Fire can be controlled by Water but how can one control the persistent flow of water? ⛈
🌌 Situation: Thousands of families got affected, of which a huge number of people lost everything and for many, most of the stuff in the homes got damaged. The farmers and the ones who rely on the agriculture oriented income encountered a significant setback as the crops and trees succumbed to the untiring attack of Water. Vehicles were damaged and Animals got washed away. Besides, a terrible loss to the public infrastructure viz. Roads, Schools, Offices and Vegetation was experienced.
➡ Immediate Action: Firstly, the villagers came to each other’s rescue and it was a great display of unity. Navy extended a great help by getting into the affected areas through boats and saving human beings and animals. The fishermen community triggered prompt action from their end and most of the people I met conveyed that this act actually saved thousands. The NGOs all over the nation became active and a huge amount of food, medicines, groceries, clothes, utensils and other relief material was sent in by all the possible modes of transport.
⚓ Execution: With a detailed plan, the team initiated work in all the directions. Firstly, a crew of 5 members travelled to Cochin where they met the local Jain community that has 800 members. From Mumbai, a fund of 10 lakh rupees was mobilised to the community. More than 100 volunteers started working on the survival kit for the nearby areas that were heavily affected. They travelled in tall vehicles to the nearest possible location and from there they took boats and reached out to the houses for the relief activities. In one week, 32 tons of stuff – Groceries, Medicines, Clothes and Utensils – was purchased and collected through the participation of few NGOs and direct contributions. Everything was loaded in the parcel wagon of the train that flagged off on 25th of August with 5 more members from the NGO. This train reached on the next day and through multiple trucks, the distribution activities were resumed. A team of 3 people (including me) reached Calicut on the 29th of August.
1⃣ Waynad (29/Aug): One of the most affected areas, located at 700 metres above the sea-level. More than the water, the disaster was due to the landslides through the muddy mountains. Waynad district is a home to tribal community of Kerala. They drink mountain water that would run through their taps. With this calamity, the pipeline system was broken. We met few people in village who have become homeless and moreover, lost their source of income as the taxis they were driving were damaged and crops on the fields on which they were working got washed off. On immediate basis, they need the pipeline system with overhead tanks to be made. Also, they are looking for a small set-up wherein women can and are willing to work to earn some income to gradually recover the losses incurred.
2⃣ Trichur (30/Aug): We visited the 3 most affected areas of the district. The river that barely had few feet of water had scaled up to tens of feet and the water embraced the entire area including several villages and settlements. We got into many houses and the condition was shockingly painful. Many lost their cattle too. Cattle is the source of income for a maximum residents of that area. One of the bigger villages was home to 1300 families, and over 1000 families were shattered badly. The main requirement there was cattle so that they can get back to the business at the earliest. Also, due to a lot of damage in vegetation, fodder for the survived lot of cattle is a dire need for their sustainability. Schools need to be reconstructed and the kids need stationery kits.
3⃣ Trivandrum (31/Aug): The primary agenda was to meet the representatives of the administration. We had quite an insightful multiple rounds of discussion with the Chief Minister, Minister for Agriculture, several other ministers and the Principal Secretary for General Administration. The discussion was around the actual calamity, preparedness, failures, rehabilitation, support and current proceedings. Most importantly, had a word with the Principal Secretary who focussed on the requirements related to the education. Approximately, 3 lakh kids are affected, of which nearly 1.5 lakh kids come under the poverty line. We need to channelize our effort for helping those kids with the school related kits.
4⃣ Cochin (1/Sep): We had a similar experience like what we encountered at Trichur. A lot of damage to the houses and their lands has happened. We did visit a couple of schools that were in a deadly state. All the furniture and equipment was extremely damaged.
📢 Appeal: Our main focus currently is on sustainability and hence we want to make a sincere request and a humble appeal to come forward and support for the reconstruction of water supply at the Waynad district and the school kits for the kids. You may want to help with sponsorships, contacts, sharing your wallets, sharing the experience and spreading the word. 📢
Please contact me for more details. ThanQ so much.
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