"Tanushree, with a Masters Degree in History, came to Govindopur Abad island as a young bride of 24 in 2001. Since then she has witnessed several cyclones and their aftermath, including the worst - Aila. "Let alone the cyclones, even the routine flooding of our village by the surrounding Curzon creek due to rising water levels during high tide is causing damage to crops because of salinity. A major part of agricultural land has become unproductive because of this. A large number of water borne diseases are also spreading amongst human beings and animals because of the flooding," she says.
 
"I am educated and I had some idea about what to do. So, I mobilised a group of women for tree plantation and building of higher embankments around our village," she adds. Tanushree set up the 'Surja Sikha' Self Help Group with 10 women for the purpose. Besides creating awareness on water-borne diseases and conducting regular tree plantation to replenish the depleting mangrove, the group also started sheep-breeding as a means of alternate livelihood because crops were regularly being destroyed by the saline flood waters. The SHG also motivated others in the village to build embankments around their island under the National Rural Employment Guarantee Act, the 100-day employment scheme."

 

---Read more at: Women's Feature Service http://wfsnews.org/India - New Delhi, Article by Ajitha Menon, COPENHAGEN INTERNATIONAL CLIMATE CONFERENCE,
INDIA GRASSROOTS WOMAN TESTIMONIAL OF CRISIS