Help Tourism

It has been almost three months since the devastating cyclone struck the Sunderbans delta. And the battle still continues with poor rain falls, no agriculture followed by the hungry autumn looming large. Thousands of villagers have been displaced; many more have already migrated to the cities leaving behind their heavy hearts, but millions have no choice but to stay back and continue their day-to-day battle in this hostile terrain. The cyclone had hit the Bengal coast on Monday, 25th of May 2009 and has left a massive trail of destruction in different parts of the state. The scale of destruction and the suffering of the effected people were unprecedented.

A long-term plan for creating livelihood options, rebuilding houses, repairing schools and creating fresh and clean water sources is still awaited although reconstruction of man-made embankments has been possible in most of the affected areas. Despite the human tragedy and loss of properties that the cyclone and subsequent floods had caused, the mangrove forests of Sunderbans and its animal life have been mostly intact.

The government’s response to the cyclone devastation was immediate but the relief operations delayed to start as local communication systems were found to be paralyzed and many areas inaccessible by the impact of the cyclone. The army and Border Security Force personals were called in for carrying out rescue operations and air dropping of food packets in the inaccessible terrains. NGOs played a vital role in the relief, rescue and rebuilding operations cutting across all corners.

The Government of India had incepted the Natural Disaster Management Program (NDMP) in 1992-93 following the devastating Latur earthquake to suggest a long-term strategy for managing natural disasters in the country, but from the reaction of NDMP after the cyclone it seems they have not realized that costs of disaster mitigation are far more economical than spending huge money on relief and rehabilitation.

It is beyond any doubt that after a natural disaster of such an extreme magnitude, in which properties and lives of countless people are devastated, anger against the government administration is usual. The Aila affected legendary Sunderbans islanders have been exceptional and have demonstrated their towering courage, resilience and unfathomable fighting spirit instead of showing any anger. One can still see smile on their faces!

Help Tourism and ACT along with their partners, associates, supporters, patrons, and friends have been working non-stop in the villages since 25th May. Our team of volunteers visited most of the affected islands and tried to help out the communities by providing medical assistance, food, water, temporary shelters, clothes, lanterns, mosquito nets, torches, tents. Several thousands of ponds have been dewatered with the help of our pump sets and embankments have been repaired in Bali and adjoining Islands. Medical camps are being regularly organized with specialist doctors and our trained health volunteers. Mangrove plantation programme has already begun to protect the embankments and villages. Support has been extended to the local schools so that normal classes can resume. A mobile medical boat has been placed to provide medical assistance and medicines to far flung areas. This mobile medical facility has a fast-moving ambulance boat also so that the serious patients can be shifted to referral and specialty hospitals.

Many individuals and friends have generously extended support to help us continue our work. It is impossible to mention every one’s name here as the list is long. We apologize for that. Complete details will be available on the website of ACT(www.actnowornevr.org) soon. We and our local partner in Sunderbans Bali Nature & Wildlife Conservation Society are grateful to Wildlife Protection Society of India, Sanctuary Asia, Hemendra Kothari Foundation, Samarpan Foundation, Parabar Cultural Group, Cyclone Aila 2009 Facebook Support Group, Charities Aid Foundation India, West Bengal Voluntary Health Association, Diakonie, Modella Caretaker Centre & School for their generous contribution, support and encouragement.

It is indeed important to mention at this stage about the exemplary and responsible participation of the Travel Industry. Our partners and associates in the Responsible Tourism Network (www.rtnetworking.org.), representing global solidarity to responsible tourism practices, extended all possible support and stood by the effected people of Sunderbans from the day one of the Aila menace. We are particularly grateful to The Blue Yonder (India), Social Tour.com Travels (Nepal), Travel to Care (India & Denmark) and Grass Route Journeys (India) for their leadership and initiatives.

We hope to have all of them with us as the battle continues……..

Following an old tradition, our friend Ajoy Roy again visited Sunderbans to celebrate the pre-Puja Season Community Feast.

We love to share with you some impressions:

more about the community feasts in Sunderbans

After Cyclone Aila hit the Bay of Bengal on Monday, the Sunderbans are inundated, hundreds of people lost their lives, crores their homes. The Jungle Camp with its boats and staff has become a knodal point for rescue action. The camp’s well is still functioning, providing urgently needed fresh water to inhabitants of Bali and nearby islands. Our boats are running constantly to bring in goods and rescue experts. Our conservation volunteers are supporting Forest Department on wildlife rescue measures.
We have set up a support group on facebook to provide regular updates about the situation on-site and to generate donations for urgent emergency help.

Help Tourism, together with Expert Klaus Schaette took the initiate to address the
waste problem as in the pilot project in Lava, Neora Valley in 2008.

What is the waste problem?

As all over India, as well in the Sunderban Jungle Camp,
all the waste is burned in a smelling and hazardous procedure; half burned plastics,
Glass and metal pieces remain. This is not an environmentally friendly practise,
especially not for the fragile ecosystem of the Sunderbans.

Mr. Schaette introduced a simple system of waste separation to avoid smell and hazardous smoke;
only burning the “light plastic” (Plastic-bags and wrappers) with paper in a self-built incinerator.

Not for burning but for recycling are Water-bottles (PET), PVC,
hard plastics (Pots, carpets, cables, Flip-flops), Glass, tins, cans!

A Dumping Pit is necessary as not all is right for burning, nor recycling.

Batteries are for separate dumping only, as collection for recycling is rare in India.

Organic waste, especially dry leaves and straw should not be burned, because they give
excellent compost!

Now the Help Tourism Sunderban Jungle Camp has additional ecology features:

• to practise waste separation, avoiding the common habit, to burn all the waste in open fire,
  exposing smell and hazardous smoke
• using the kitchen waste, to develop compost for vegetable garden and trees in compound
  - to prepare its own organic vegetable garden
• the village community is now ready to copy the system.

A similar Campaign has been introduced to the new HelpTourism Camp in Chilapata, Dooars, as well
as in Chilapata village, in the Buxa and Jaldapara Reserve and in Sukna, a village near Silguri.

We (Help Tourism & ACT team) were in two minds before attending the ICRT conference, the second after the Cape Town conference in 2002. The reasons being:

• Fees & conveyance:
  With the amount that would be spent for attending the conference, would be almost equivalent to building three toilets for our recent community project called Dihing River Camp. The same is expected to be functional by October, 2008.
• Conference venue & delegate accommodation options:
  Our understanding of the principles of responsible tourism and the use of 5-star convention venue and also options for delegates to stay in the star hotels, whose responsible policy was not known, this was somewhat a question for us.

We decided to join the conference after several discussions realizing the fact that the East & Northeast India would go unrepresented in a declaration on responsible tourism being held in India. That several representatives from the Government of India, Department of Tourism and the state Governments would be attending the conference and we would influence them to draw a policy based on responsible tourism. The last but not the least, our presentation will help to influence the declaration on issues that we have been discussing locally.

We did gain something from the conference

• Network with delegates nationally & internationally who thought on the same lines like us
• Our presentation could influence the declaration through its acceptance of the fact that the community participation phenomenon was the core strength of the responsible tourism movement, and that travel warnings by tourist originating countries on host countries should be more responsible
• Contact people who were interested in our cross-border tourism & conservation issues
• The interaction with the South Africa team, where the 2002 or the first declaration took place on their views that: Policy to action is still far to go in their country, the policy should be considered from the community priority, i.e. bottom up policy

The outcome of the conference, the Kerala Declaration on Responsible Tourism sets a both promising and challenging framework for the way ahead. For the next conference hopefully we have already gone as far as to allow more ground practicioners sharing their experience – their knowledge is too valuable as to set them aside because participation would be too costly for them.