Disaster in India
The Indian state of West Bengal was devastated at the end of May by a hurricane, Cyclone Aila.
We heard virtually nothing about it at the time as we were in the UK immersed in MPs’ expenses scandals, but the reality here is that about a million people have lost their homes and livelihoods as the Sunderbans, low-lying delta lands stretching over hundreds of kilometres, are now a swamp with freshwater and seawater seeping into the land, making it useless for crops. The potency of Aila was revealed in the storm surge that preceded it. The sea level rose by half a metre, flattening embankments and sweeping away thousands of houses. The combined effect of the swelling water and the surge towards the shore was so tremendous that the damage was worse that that experienced by Cyclone Sidr two years ago. It was also unpredicted until the eve of the storm, too late to effect an evacuation.
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