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Ripples from Cyclone Yaas and surging tides devastate the Sunderbans -Shiv Sahay Singh

-The Hindu

Unprecedented damage calls for policies geared to climate change

For people in the ecologically fragile Sunderbans, life revolves around battling high tides daily and cyclones regularly. But every cyclone throws up new challenges to the Sunderbans and its inhabitants — something the people had not imagined, and policy makers are not prepared for.

Over just the past three years, the Sunderbans, which is home to close to five million people, has been battered by four tropical cyclones — Fani (May 2019), Bulbul (November 2019), Amphan (May 2020) and Yaas (May 2021). On each occasion, the region has suffered damage because of gale winds and breached embankments, leading to ingress of sea water.

The intensity of the gale winds has ranged from 100 kmph to 150 kmph during each of the cyclones.

Experts say the solution to the perennial problem lies in long-term planning, adopting strategies that will minimise the impact of climate change, and disaster management suited to the region.

Unprecedented surge

When the State administration launched a massive evacuation drive earlier this week on May 24 and May 25, little did the residents know that though Cyclone Yaas made landfall about 200 km south of the Sunderbans in Odisha, it would inundate large areas of the estuary. The cumulative effect of the full moon tide on May 26 and the cyclone led to the overflowing and breach of embankments in large areas of the Sunderbans.

While the India Meteorological Department had predicted a storm surge of 2 m above the astronomical tide level, water in the river and bay swelled due to full moon tide. As a result, on May 26 morning as Cyclone Yaas made landfall, large areas were inundated.

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