Published in IIPS
Mumbai, ENVIS center, Volume 2, No. 3, September
2005
Tsunami sinks Andamans’ sex
ratio
By Somadatta Basu / TNN*
A dipping sex-ratio with
half the female population wiped out Andaman’s
population nearly 35% children dead. Perhaps a
generation lost. Statistics collated and processed
by the Anthropological Survey of India (ASI)- “a
tsunami impact assessment team among Great
Nicobar’s tribals” – reveals an alarming picture.
The report to be handed
over to the centre and the Andaman and Nicobar
Islands administration by this month end, was
commissioned to gauge the true extent of tsunami
damage the island’s population suffered on December
26. Painstaking field study by the ASI experts on
the islands of Great Nicobar, Katchal, Nancowry and
Chowra led to the findings.
While none, including ASI
director V.R.Rao, was willing to comment on the
report, TOI has learnt that the sex-ratio (on Great
Nicobar) has slumped to 850 per 1000 males from the
previous 980/1000 males.
This, together with the
death of 50% women and nearly 35% children would
result in “delayed generation", researchers said
that an understand phenomenon. This would result in
late succession. When the present generation ages,
the next one will mature late by several years. This
won’t just affect economic activities, but fewer
women would slow down the reproduction rate.
Researchers questioned
the manner in which the tribal population is being
rehabilitated and pointed out several shortcomings.
Forced to depend on interim settlements
government-built pre-fabricated houses are stifling
for these tribals. Some tribals have turned idle.
The 180 Nicobarese families now put up at the
Camball Bay relief camp apparently show no desire to
fend for themselves.
The Nicobarese,
researches say, prefer to sow crops that can be
harvested once in a year. Their food habits have
changed and they’ve turned desperate. They no longer
hanker after their favorite dish-wild boar meat.
Instead they eat vegetables and rice.
The Great Nicobar
coastline took a huge hit in the December-26 fury.
Plantations were swept away, paddy fields washed
out, cane forests decimated. Much of the soil went
under saline water. No matter how much the
administration wants to encourage the Nicobarese to
sow crops, it cannot because the saline content in
the soil is still much too high. Making matters
worse is the fact that it is no longer safe to
venture into the forests to harvest honey.
The tribal today are
deeply troubled people. They’ve stopped celebrating
their festivals. Two major draws- the pig festival
and boat racing- have been suspended. Those who went
to see fish being caught, are still petrified and
don’t dare roll out their boats. They are convinced:
Tsunami was god’s wrath and it destroyed them.
“Salinity continues to
remain a major problem in these areas. Wells are
now filled with salt. The only solution’s to pump
it out. Or else fresh wells have to be bored deeper
than Norman. The wells, now are of no use,” a
researcher told TOI.
However lieutenant
government Ram Khapse refused to accept that the
tsunami could have caused a generation gap. “It is
their view, I don’t believe it. As far as the
administration is concerned, the aid and
rehabilitation has been adequate”.
Death Data
-
Sex-ratio has slumped
to 850 per 1000 males from 980: 1000 males.
-
50% women and 35%
children killed
-
Tsunami swept away
plantations and cane forests. Wells have turned
saline
-
Tribals no longer go
fishing. They believe tsunami was god’s wrath.