Amphan: Repair embankments, provide food, save lives
This is a continuation of our regular update (for June 12-14) on the relief and rehabilitation efforts of the people of the Sunderbans in collaboration with AID’s grassroots partners.
Mukti, our grassroots partner, has been working on rehabilitating livelihoods in the areas affected by Cyclone Amphan. Under its Food for Work program, Mukti is now supporting 834 workers who are working on embankment repairs under the MGNREGA.
BTS (Baikunthapur Tarun Sangha), continuing its relief efforts in Patharpratima and Kultali, has managed to provide food packets to 400 people using funds from local Kolkata-based groups. From June 13th, they will begin desalinating 40 ponds located in the villages of Bhagabatpur, Haldarbari, Hashchora, and Nogendabad. The pond owners have agreed to allow their neighbours to use their ponds, with 10-12 families using one pond on average. BTS has selected some ponds in the aforementioned areas for desalination, which will then serve as examples for the local gram panchayat to follow suit in desalinating the remaining ponds.
On Monday and Tuesday (June 15th and 16th), BTS will start planting Dhainche (Sesbania) in the area: these are saline-tolerant nitrogen-fixing plants which are mixed with the soil after 40 days of growth to increase the soil’s organic content. They are working on obtaining these saline-resistant seeds for paddy. While they wait for these seeds, they will distribute the ones they have in stock to the farmers soon. Moreover, GPS mapping work is also in progress in these areas
