Climate disruption leaves Palghar’s coastal families reeling under massive losse

For the fishing families scattered along Palgharrsquos 112km coastline the past few months have been devastating From Dahanu to Vasai continuous cyclones and unseasonal rains have washed away not just tonnes of dried fish but also the hopes savings and stability of nearly one lakh fisherfolkThe downpour has ruined their dried fish stocks mdash the only source of income for thousands of women mdash leaving spoilage losses pegged at over Rs 100 crore The community is not just fighting naturersquos fury but also what they call a cruel betrayal by the state government which despite granting the sector agricultural status continues to deny them the disaster relief packages that farmers receiveFisherwomen at Arnala stand desolate amid the racks used for drying fishldquoSince August unseasonal rains have wreaked havoc on our fishing community The government calls us farmers of the sea but when our crop is destroyed by rain no one comes forward to helprdquo said Jaywant Tandel President of the Thane District Fishermen Central Cooperative AssociationThe districtrsquos coastal belt mdash including Zai Arnala Dahanu Chinchani Tarapur Uccheli Dandi Navapur Murbe Satpati Dativare Edvan Kore Kalamb Vasai and Naigaon mdash is home to more than 35000 women who dry and sell fish For the fisherwomen drying and selling fish is their primary source of income Recently the catch of bombil Bombay duck mandeli and karandi had been good mdash offering hope that the dry fish trade would thrive But the unseasonal rains dashed those hopes leaving racks of dried fish soaked and decomposingThe damage has forced fisherwomen to discard the rotting stock leaving them in tears and trapped in crisis ldquoWe worked for months mdash now we have nothing leftrdquo said Lata Koli a fisherwoman from Arnala her voice heavy with despair ldquoHas anyone even asked us how painful it is to throw away everything we worked forrdquo asked Saraswati Patil a fisherwoman from Satpati To add to their crisis stormy winds since August kept their boats ashore sinking Rs 20000 to Rs 50000 in daily operational costsFisherfolk have had to throw away stocks of dried prawns among others destroyed by the rain PICSMEGHA PARMARldquoOur boat damages cost around Rs 10ndash15 lakh but we are given compensation of mere Rs 5000ndash10000 for damage Since the start of this fishing season each fishing trip has resulted in a loss ranging from Rs 25000 to Rs 2 lakh due to cyclones Diesel ice labour mdash all wastedrdquo said Jaykumar Bhay Director of the Maharashtra Fishermenrsquos Cooperative Apex Federation ldquoItrsquos not just the fish mdash our nets boats even the wooden racks we use to dry the fish have been damaged We are in debtrdquo said a fishermanlsquoAgri status only on paperrsquoPalgharrsquos fisherfolk say their socalled agricultural recognition has brought them zero benefits ldquoFarmers get relief packages when their crops fail We donrsquot even get a surveyrdquo said Tandel ldquoIn the aftermath of Cyclone Mantha in Palghar and Thane district around 2000 boats with around 20000 people working on them have been affected The devastation has swept up over a lakh of fisherfolkrdquoldquoWe have been fighting for years to secure proper relief funds for the fishing community but the compensation provided is far too little and fails to cover our major lossesrdquo said Bhay ldquoThe agricultural status given to us exists only on paper mdash we havenrsquot received a single benefit so far Despite repeated letters the fisheries department hasnrsquot even conducted a surveyrdquoFishermenrsquos association representatives from left Jaykumar Bhay Jaywant Tandel and Nandkumar Vinde who are awaiting government actionMembers of the Maharashtra Machhimar Kruti Samitee have written to Chief Minister Devendra Fadnavis Deputy CMs Eknath Shinde and Ajit Pawar and Fisheries Minister Nitesh Rane seeking a Rs 3000crore relief package for those affected Tandel recalled that a State Fisheries Policy Committee once headed by former Union Minister Ram Naik had recommended a Natural Disaster Management System for fisherfolk ldquoThe committee was dissolved before action was taken mdash another betrayalrdquo he saidDiscrimination in MaharashtraIn states like Gujarat Karnataka and Goa fisherfolk receive adequate and timely compensation for weatherrelated damages But in Maharashtra aid under the National Disaster Response Force NDRF is limited and inadequate the community saysldquoThis government always discriminates against the fishing community in Maharashtra specially the ThanePalghar coast We want the compensation in Maharashtra to be brought in line with the actual scale of losses sustained by fisherfolk due to cyclones and unseasonal rainsrdquo said JaykumarDespite the largescale destruction the fisheries department has not conducted any loss assessment panchanama Without official records it is impossible to estimate the exact extent of the damage or the number of affected families While the fishing community continues to fight to keep their cooperative sector alive many are leaving the trade altogether due to mounting losses and inadequate government policiesldquoI urge the department to assess the damage at the earliest visit fishing societies and ports across Palghar and Thane to understand the ground reality and extend support to fishermen boat owners and fish vendors Our community is looking to the government for muchneeded reliefrdquo said TandelOnly exceptional cases GovtDinesh Patil Assistant Commissioner of Fisheries for ThanePalghar explained ldquoAs per the guidelines there is no provision to compensate for damage to fish stock as of now mdash only for boats nets or fish ponds Compensation for loss of fish stock is granted only in exceptional cases based on government discretion However we are doing our best to support the affected fishing communityrdquoHe added that the department regularly issues timely weather alerts to help safeguard fishermenrsquos livelihoods and confirmed that a survey and loss assessment for the 93 boats damaged in May had been completed promptly However he acknowledged ldquoNo boats have been reported damaged after May as we had alerted the community in advance of the cyclonerdquoAn activist working with the Koli community for decades said ldquoThe Kolis have been protecting and feeding this coast for generations without demanding charity But now the sun doesnrsquot shine long enough to dry fish unseasonal rains and cyclones are destroying their stock and development projects are eating into their land They have never cried for help before mdash thatrsquos why the government never noticed Are we waiting for them to die of starvation before actingrdquoThe threats are piling up Not only are fish becoming harder to find but the community is also scared of losing their ancestral livelihood to largescale infrastructure ldquoLately fish are getting difficult to find and with the development of Vadhavan and Jindal ports fishermen fear for their livelihoodrdquo Jaykumar saidThe fishing community has outlined a comprehensive list of demands for government assistance following the recent devastation They have sought compensation ranging from Rs 5 lakh to Rs 25 lakh per boat for completely destroyed vessels depending on engine capacity and Rs 50000 to Rs 5 lakh per boat for partially damaged onesFor fishing nets they have demanded Rs 1 lakh for those completely destroyed and Rs 25000 for partially damaged nets Additionally they are seeking Rs 50000 for nonmechanized and outboard engine boats Rs 3 lakh for onecylinder and twocylinder boats Rs 5 lakh for fourcylinder boats and Rs 10 lakh for sixcylinder boats Fisherwomen engaged in drying fish and women fish vendors have also requested Rs 50000 each as assistanceBoats worth Rs 5ndash50 lakh have received a meagre Rs 15000 as relief mdash a move the community calls ldquoa mockery of our sufferingrdquo Adding to their woes the sanctioned diesel quota for boats has been reduced from 8349 last year to 7796 this year attributing it to the inability of most fishermen to afford insurance or mandatory renewalsldquoThe losses have hit not just fishermen but also the entire chain of livelihoods connected to dried fish trade Despite repeated damage we never receive fair compensation The fishing community is always neglected This time we demand proper relief for the losses wersquove sufferedrdquo Tandel added For Maharashtrarsquos fisherfolk the sea has always been both a provider and a risk But as the rains grow harsher and relief remains elusive the people who harvest the oceanrsquos wealth now find themselves sinking