PURI: With the meteorological centre suggesting that a fresh low pressure area could develop over Bay of Bengal by next week, G. Raju, a 50-year-old fisherman residing at Penthakata in this coastal town, starts counting the number of days his family members would have to cut down the daily food intake.
Reasons; the experienced fisherman would have to sit down in his house staring at the turbulent weather off the coast that would eventually prevent him from venturing into the sea for fishing and also earning livelihood for that period.
Mr. Raju just recently remained unemployed for four days as a depression that came closer to the Orissa coast, but finally veered towards West Bengal. He was not alone about 3,000 fishermen in this fisher cluster sat idle for four days this week.
With frequency of formation of atmospheric systems over Bay of Bengal increasing, fisher families are further being pushed to corner by losing opportunities for fishing deep in the sea.
Bundi Sriram, a hexagenerian fisherman, said during past few years low pressure areas and depressions started to appear more frequently than a decade ago.
“Fishing activities are often interrupted due to rough weather in rainy season. A fisherman who gets around Rs. 100 to Rs. 200 daily out of fishing will find it difficult to manage his family if he does not go for fishing for continuous three days,” Mr. Sriram said.
Mr. Raju said the volume of fish catch has also come down drastically compared to earlier days and it was also contributing to dwindling livelihood base.
Disasters
Livelihood is not the only casualty due to frequent visit of disasters like low pressure area and cyclone. Fishermen community are increasingly getting into debt trap in their preparedness to face disasters. “Earlier we were using boat made of wood and its maintenance was affordable. But now we require robust boat in view of ferocity of disasters. And it costs around Rs. 1.20 lakh.
A fisherman obviously does not have such huge amount to invest. He will have to go to money lender.
To pay back the loan, the fisherman goes on selling fishes to the money lender at much lower price than that of market,” Govinda, another fisherman said. Battered by rough weather, houses in this cluster now need regular repair which is also burden on fishermen community.
As the earnings of fishermen families are gradually drying up, migration has become order of the day.
Children in Penthakata are entering unorganised sector as child labourer in early age and at a faster rate.
And many youths in this fisher cluster are being pushed to crime syndicates as livelihood base erodes.
