MARGAO
Saturday saw traditional fishermen and officials of government participating in a cyclone evacuation drill on the Benaulim beach as part of preparedness in averting disasters during cyclones.
The exercise had a two-fold objective “ how the fishermen with limited resources will pull their country made boats and nets from the shore, and identify a shelter to park the boats at a safe location.
The exercise also got the traditional fishermen to register themselves as volunteers to participate in similar drills along the coast.
Initiated by Benaulim MLA Venzy Viegas, the administration also has plans to hold a similar drill at Colva and then at Cavelossim.
Members of the traditional fishing community from Benaulim participated in the drill by pulling a fishing boat on shore, right into the property of the Benaulim hatchery, before parking it in a safe area behind a dune.
Deputy Collector, Margao Jyoti Kumari said the cyclone evacuation drill will help pull the boats lying on the shore into the safe zone inside the hatchery.
“The demo was conducted from the beach to the fisheries area behind a sand dune. Normally, around 40 boats operate on the Benaulim beach. The drill has emphasized the need for the fishermen to get together and pull the boats to safety. This will result in capacity building and create a disaster response force”, she said.
Traditional fisherman Pele Fernandes and others aired their grievances to the Deputy Collector to make the cyclone drill perfect. They asked the authorities to allow the fishermen to use a vehicle to pull the boats ashore instead of taking the manual recourse. Pele said the authorities should provide rescue equipment, including tubes and small canoes for the rescue operation. The fishermen also wanted the authorities to provide binoculars to the lifeguards on duty for prompt action.
The Deputy Collector promised to look into the demand when a detailed cyclone evacuation plan is put in place, saying the existing infrastructure and logistics will be scaled up in the plan.
Benaulim MLA Venzy Viegas told the media that fishermen inhabiting the coast will have to assemble at one place once the siren is activated. “After counting the number of boats on the shore, they will all pull the boats to the disaster shelter, which has now been identified inside the hatchery complex. The hatchery site is found safe over other sites since it plays host to a sand dune, which will protect the fishing boats from being hit by the cyclonic winds”, Venzy said.
He added: By preserving the sand dune to act as a shelter for the fishing boats, we will also protect the environment as part of disaster management. The sand dune will also protect the village from the fury of the cyclonic winds.
Members of the Benaulim Panchayat, Fire Officer Gill D’Souza and officials of the fisheries department, Drishti and others participated in the drill.
