In Andaman and Nicobar about 1400 bodies have been recovered but about 6000 are still missing. So these dead bodies may cause severe calamity to environment as they are buried in rubbles. Around 160 camps are arranged with 41000 inmates. The crowded condition will also cause unwanted health problems. For safety sake, DPT, hepatitis B vaccines are administered by the team of doctors struggling round the clock with medicines. NGO are 60 in number to give assistance in all ways. Their volunteering abilities have given some relief. Integrated relief command works day and night for all rehabilitation measures.

In Nagapattinam, Cuddalore, Kancheepuram and Villupuram nearly 13600 hectares of land have been sanctioned for the restoration of fertility of these lands. As the tsunami waves carried large quantity of unwanted filth, the soil is contaminated to such an extent that the ground water in those lands will affect the vegetation too! To save the crops in these vast areas of lands proper usage of pesticides is a must. Any negligence will not only affect the crops but also the individual consuming it.

In Andaman and Nicobar along 100 km of coastline six meter wide cracks have been developed after tsunami waves. So the paddy, mangroves, coconut trees etc. will be affected badly if proper steps are taken which warns the agriculturists in Tamil Nadu. In the meantime a complaint has been lodged by the zilla parishad chairman that relief operations are going in a slow pace which will affect the crops and the agriculturalists. Eradicating through timely usage of pesticides and chemicals and antibiotics will save future calamity.

Los in fisheries sector has estimated to $520 million. This includes Srilanka, Myanmar, Indonesia and other affected regions apart from Indian coast. Also 1.7 million units of fishing equipments are damaged says the statisticians. They are all strewn and torn in pieces by the ferocious tsunami waves causing debris, contaminated chemical heaps and wastes with human wastes clinked to them. Many are not cleared as they are well below the silt and will cause unwanted environmental health hazards.

About 112000 fishing vessels got damaged and 36000 engines were lost. So these form deplorable garbage of metals spoiling the environment.

In Nagapattinam, Cuddalore and in Chennai 6000, 4500 and 1000 catamarans have been damaged respectively. All efforts have been taken to remove them from the area a safety disposed. But many worry that still some more are as unrecoverable wastes which can cause environment problems to the mother earth in later days.

To save the plantations from any hazards and to relieve the human beings from health problems proper sanitary steps are to be adopted with suitable chemicals which are safe and has no side effects.

In Cuddalore alone 210 ha of horticultural crops, 320 ha of standing agricultural lands have been damaged affecting 1200 farmers says the district collector officials. Though a minimum relief fund of Rs.5000 is demanded for each ha of land much has to be spent for pesticides alone. Bore wells have to sink to get fresh water free from contaminated. The government has disbursed about Rs 4 crores of relief funds through 1000 primary agricultural cooperation societies which had to monitor the crops from environmental hazards caused by Tsunami waves killed with filth. The farmers may need more funds says the villagers.

Total loss of agricultural crops on 18615 ha and horticultural crops on 272 ha have to be set right as soon as possible. 14 samples, 90 soil samples have been under test for contamination. The more vigilant the agricultural sector is better will be environmental condition.

In Srilanka, 31000 persons were killed and 6300 are missing. Hence these bodies are in an unrecoverable stage which will cause infection to the environment due to the environment due to decay and decomposition. Also it is distressing to note that 4.50 lakh people in Srilanka have been displaced and living in an unhealthy condition. About 29000 boats have been thrown to pieces everywhere causing heaps of unwanted unusable material heaps. These situations have made the authorities to clean up the area thoroughly with strong virus killing chemicals and pesticides. Or else the crops and the people have to face the consequences. The worst affected and maximum usage of pesticide is the eastern districts of Srilanka. This area is already in a distressing condition.

The vegetations, trees, crops etc. totally Srilanka need $1.8 billion and most of which will be focused on health sector and revival of normal life. Loss in sanitation, drainage and loss in water supply, power, transportation etc have made the retrieval of human wastes a tough job. So every delay in retrieval operation has only increased the growth of virus germs in that region. Some of these can be attacked with strong pesticides to give a favourable solution.

S. Chakrapani
Age 56
chakrapani.s@nlcindia.com