After the storm that shook Balapitiya

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Nilmini Niluka says she will be forever haunted by the memory of her husband fighting the angry waves, just minutes before he was dragged into the sea on the morning of June 8. “The thought of him out in that rough sea, battling the gale was making me sick with worry the previous night. But when I heard early next morning that their boat was at the Balapitiya – Modara estuary all my worries faded as I ran out to see him return home. But all I witnessed was his boat being tossed to and fro from one angry wave to the other as he battled for his life until the boat was crushed and he was dragged into the wild sea,” she says as tears fill her eyes.

A resident of Balapitiya and a mother of three Nilmini recalls the final moments her husband spent home. “He was very reluctant to go out to sea that day. In fact, he hadn’t gone fishing for almost a week. But the boat owner kept coming to our house that morning - three times he visited the house and my husband hid inside the house, hoping to avoid him. Finally, the boat owner walked right in and asked him to leave saying the sea was calmer than usual and he’d be able to earn a few extra bucks. . .If only they had let him be. . .” she says, as she holds a black and white death notice of her husband. The tears fall on to the paper, blotting the black ink.

A widow’s cry

The responsibilities and challenges of a widow’s life that lies ahead for Nilmini has not allowed any time to be spent, grieving for her deceased husband. “The responsibility of feeding, schooling and supporting three children worries me greatly because I don’t have a job. Although the boat owner was quite persistent to drag my husband out of the home that ill-omened day, he has made it very clear that we can expect no assistance from him except for the Rs. 12,000 he handed over to manage the funeral expenses,” she says, as tears of unspoken grief roll down her wearied face.



Nilimini and the other fishing families of the Balapitiya Modarawatte area are being provided with dry rations by the government officials at present. “This morning, when a military official handed over the parcel of dry rations to my son he asked the officer whether he could bring his father back home. . . I don’t know how to tell him that his father is never going to return home. . .”

Battling the angry sea

It had been three-days since Wijith Shantha had gone out into the sea. Being a daily wage earner - the cash had been running short, making him no longer able to ignore the hungry cries of his children. But on that ominous afternoon of June 7, when he took a walk towards the Modarawatte dock and saw the catch that was being hauled in by those who went out to the sea that morning, he decided to set out to sea that night.

“This is the waarakan (monsoon) season so we usually avoid going out to the sea. Even those who do don’t venture far out,” Shantha explained.

So Shantha and two other fishermen from Balapitiya had set off from the Modarawatte dock at about 3.30 pm, rather confident of bringing home a good catch that would earn them a few bucks, enough to put some food on the table.

“Until about 10 pm the sea was quite rough but manageable, so we lay our nets. . . But come midnight, the sea suddenly turned fiendlike with dark, heavy clouds and a strong gale. We knew it was only a matter of time until our little boat that was being tossed like a toy on the angry waves, capsized,” this 48 year-old father - a survivor who battled the gale that killed close to 47 fishermen said as he recalled his horrific experience.

Shantha says the one thought that strengthened his will to battle the angry waves was his family, who he knew was eagerly awaiting his return home. “So we removed some of the styrofoam balls off the net and tied them to our hips, ready to face the worst.” At about 2.30 am, the little boat had given way to huge wave and capsized. Shantha and his fellow boatmen, left at the mercy of the roaring sea had held on to the overturned boat tightly, as the wild sea thrust them to and fro.

“We floated for over 2 ½ hours in the sea and as the first morning light crept out of the gloomy clouds, the sea turned relatively calmer,” he says. But by then, their will to survive was dwindling, weakened by the heavy blows of the rough waters and the wind. When the trio was finally swept ashore by the waves, they had been almost unconscious.

Shantha says he faintly remembers being carried off the beach and when he finally regained consciousness he had been on a hospital bed. “After battling death, we returned home penniless. Adding insult to injury, the hospital was able to provide us with saline water and paracemtomol. The rest of the medications had to be bought from a pharmacy, for which my wife had to borrow Rs. 500. There was no one to help us in our hour of need,” he says as he shows the large wounds on his legs and arms, caused by cuts from sea rocks. Their little boat and the equipment had been crushed against the rocks- all that’s left of it today is pieces of green nets and wood on a pile of sand. The loss he has incurred is close to Rs. 600,000. Until the boat and equipment are repaired, Shantha cannot continue his livelihood. “Every single bone of my body aches but the pain disappears when I think of how I should put food on the table. How am I going to feed my children?” this worried father questioned, with tears in his eyes.


THIS DISASTER IS THE FAULT OF FISHERIES OFFICIALS – BALAPITIYA FISHERMEN’S SOCIETY TREASURER

Balapitiya Fishermen’s Society Treasurer, Sugath Deshpriya expressing his views on the unprecedented disaster and damages caused by the gale on June 7 said they should not be heaved on the Meteorology Department and added it is the result of the lack of a mechanism by the Fisheries Department to warn/inform fishermen concerning bad weather conditions.

“The fishermen in these areas use small boats that can make only one day trips. They are not equipped with advanced radio gear and therefore, cannot be informed in case they need to be warned. On June 7 afternoon, I was in constant touch with the Meteorological Department and they warned of strong winds that could escalate to 80 – 100 kmph. I am an owner of five boats and I immediately warned all fishermen who work under me as well as those who were getting ready to set out to sea at the Modarawatte dock to postpone the trips. Some listened to me; others did not heed my warning. . . But if this warning had been from an official source, they might have listened and we would have been able to avoid this calamity,” he pointed out.

Deshapriya also pointed out the other reason that resulted in the loss of 30 lives in the Modarawatte village, making it currently the most heavily affected area from the disaster due to the lack of a proper fishing harbor in the area. “For close to 20 years, the fishermen in this village have been requesting the Fisheries department officials to construct a proper fishing harbor in Modarawatte as it is tough to bring the boats in during high tide and rough seas. But they never had time to pay attention to our requests . . . I can only hope that at least this disaster would act as an eye opener for the authorities,” he added.

Speaking further he pointed out that although the Modarawatte village is home for about 200 fishing families, there is very little attention paid to their needs. “Recently, batches of life jackets were given to fishermen in villages close by but our fishermen received none. It is imperative that authorities responsible look into the needs and issues of small fishermen and not just those engaged in large-scale fishing businesses. The men we lost this week were the most experienced fishermen in the area, because it is only the most senior fishermen that go out to sea during the waarakan season. . .how long will it take for these men to be replaced?” Deshapriya questioned.


AN EXTENSIVE COMPENSATION PROGRAM WILL BE CARRIED OUT – DEPUTY MINISTER

Deputy Fisheries Minister, Sarath Kumara Gunaratna speaking to Daily Mirror said plans have been laid out to carry an extensive compensation program that would not provide assistance to the affected fishing families economically as well as ensure the welfare of the children from those families.

“Information concerning the affected and victimized families from the disaster is currently being carried out and we are planning to implement in swiftly. However, our priority at the moment is to sort out the issues concerning the missing fishermen and also provide assistance to carry out funerals of the deceased fishermen,” he said.

Meanwhile, he also added that a Rs. 2000 million program to restore and construct new fishing ports has been initiated and they are planning to look into the issues of the lack of fishing habours in various areas under the program.

Pix by Samantha Perera