Anger simmers as netas sidestep floods

Babytai Mahadev Kunure stands amidst the debris of house that was destroyed in the August floods in Kolhapur district

Kolhapur: Climate change, failed disaster management and environmental policies, and flawed approach to relief and rehabilitation, which caused widespread devastation during Kolhapur and Sangli floods in August, hardly find a place in campaigning for the assembly polls here. But signs of devastation are still visible in the cities and villages, with sugarcane farmers and the poor still struggling, even as parties spar over issues that do not guarantee them a better tomorrow.

Situated on the banks of a tributary that passes through Kolhapur city is Sutarwada, a group of 25 dilapidated shanties are lined up on a snake-infested landmass. They are not squatters, the locals said, claiming that the land was donated by the Chitradurg Math. The men work as painters, carpenters and mechanics; the women as domestic workers.

Malgonda Patil whose house was reduced to rubble in the floods in Herwad village

"We have decided not to vote. No politician came to help us," said Vandana Shivaji Shinde. "We know they will come and bow before us now, begging for votes. We will ask them what they have done, even though we know we are insignificant and can't impact the results."

When the floods came, the locals took shelter in the math. "The water reached the second floor of the school building behind us. We left with whatever we could take in our hands and shifted to the math for 45 days," said Parvati Shankar Padval, whose family of 13 stays in two 10-ftx10-ft tin sheds.

Tanaji Mahadev Tarale in his broken house and damaged cycle that he used to travel to school and to fetch fodder from the fields. Pics/ Pradeep Dhivar

The families have been fending for themselves since. They now want to ask the politicians when they will get the promised relief. "We don't expect more than what was promised. They said the money will be transferred to our bank accounts. But nothing has come," said Rajashree Prakash Khandekar.

When mid-day visited the locality nestled between garages and workshops, the men had gone to work. The women had just returned after finishing their work in nearby homes. They said they ensured that the math wasn't burdened while hosting them. "We contributed Rs 100 each to pay for the water and electricity bills. For how long could we have stayed there? We returned with some hope, but you can see our plight."

Bandu Pail's entire sugarcane crop was damaged in the floods

Forty kilometres from Kolhapur, Herwad village speaks volumes of what is in store for the sugarcane farmers, who have lost their standing crop, which they had cultivated with high-interest loans. They said the losses they will suffer this crushing season will disturb their economic cycle.

"A complete loan waiver without landholding cap will alone give us relief," said Malgonda Patil, who lost 2.5 acres worth of 10-month crop, and would have earned at least R3000 per tonne for an estimated yield of 200 tonne.

Shivaji Patil's loss of five acres worth of crop was the highest among the farmers mid-day met. "The government has done a survey. We don't expect the government to compensate us more than 10 per cent of our total losses. Where will we make up the remaining 90 per cent while repaying our crop loans taken at 14 per cent interest?" he asked.

Activist Bandu Patil said a total debt waiver was the only way out. "The damaged crop will not have the sugar content the mills require. Farmers will have to cut the crop by employing expert labourers, who charge a bomb," he said.

Village Sarpanch Surganda Patil said 625 hectares of agricultural land was totally damaged, adding that the floods affected 42 of the 52 villages in the area.

If losses in farming are crippling, the housing problem is worse. Malgonda Patil, quoted above, rented a house after his home got submerged and collapsed. Others like Babytai Mahadev Kumre and her brother-in-law have moved into their neighbours' homes, paying a nominal rent.

The Sarpanch, a BJP man, said 113 houses were completely damaged and 517 were partially affected in the floods that raged between August 3 and 16. He said he has requested the senior BJP leaders to relax the norms for providing relief so that the migrant labourers in the villages are also eligible for compensation.

Activist Bandu Patil said Herwad had 6,000 voters, a number that can impact the result if the contest is close. "Imagine what will happen if 52 villages decide to vote against the tide," he said.

What caused the floods? Environmentalist Uday Gaikwad of Mass Initiative for Truth and Action (Mitra) has studied climate change and the damages that development projects have done to the rivers flowing down the Western Ghat's 110km length.

"Five rivers originate at higher levels in the hills and flow rapidly downstream and merge a few kilometres from Kolhapur into the Panchganga. Indiscriminate mining in the Sahyadri, rampant terracing of the hills for farming and massive felling of trees have eroded the soil that flows into Kolhapur's Panchganga and further," he said. "The shallow river bed and the blockages that 65 weirs (low dams), the four major bridges and elevated highways have created slows the flow and adds to the flooding."

He said the district administration had no clue about what was happening. The administration took pride that there were no casualties, but lives were actually saved because people helped each other.

"We had a mitigation plan after the 2005 floods, and even updated it considering the changes over the past 14 years," said Gaikwad. "Constructions were allowed in the unsafe areas with certain conditions, but the violations went unnoticed."

The expert also attributed the worsening of the flood situation to the swelling of the backwaters of the Almatti Dam down south. "People say how can a dam 220 km away worsen the situation here," he said. "But they don't understand that the slower flow of water and the intake from catchment areas affect the Almatti, which in turn affects us."

Pointing that the region witnessed serious signs of climate change, Gaikwad said the area received 60 days worth of rainfall in just 15 days. With temperatures surprisingly not dropping despite the floods, there was thankfully no outbreak of illness. "Our politicians do not learn from the past," he said. "The August fury was unexpected and our poor policy-making vision complicated it further."

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