A rather humourous account of tackling floods in Jajpur
I recently attended a stakeholder consultation on flood forecasting, risks and vulnerabilities at IIT Bombay. It brought back some humorous memories of a flood preparedness back in 1982 at Jajpur subdivision – my first place of posting. It was not an easy place to work – was the prevailing perception. I have alluded to it elsewhere.
My first brush with floods happenned at Jajpur. It is endowed with major rivers flowing through it – Vaitarani at one end, then Kharsrota or Kharsuan, and Brahmani as we move towards Cuttack then the district headquarter. Before reaching Cuttack, we cross the mighty Mahanadi. It was only proper to report to Collector Cuttack, before joining Jajpur as the SDM. Kolkata to Cuttack train journey was the most convenient mode.
As our train was crossing Jajpur road towards Cuttack, I saw these well-endowed rivers. The vast expanse of Vaitarani – oh Wow! Then Khwrsuan and Brahmani. I was quite impressed. It was quite a change from my experience in Maharashtra. Only while crossing Mahanadi, I realized that this was something different. The river was in full spate and the water level was dangerously high, very close to the rail track. Are these flood waters? I asked a fellow passenger. “What else do you think it is?” Came a disdainful answer – my first brush with Cuttack style of responses.
When I reached the Collectorate, things seemed in quite a disarray. The Collector Mr. Harmohan Pattnaik looked at me in bit of a disbelief and asked , “Have you actually come to join?” I found the question rather unusual and also found his appearance a bit odd – quite disheveled. Later I could gather that this had more to do with the severity of the floods. Mahanadi had been threatening to breach the embankments which would have created havoc in Cuttack town. Harmohan sir had not slept for last two nights and had kept a strict vigil. No wonder he looked so unkempt. His surprise also made sense. Who would land up in the midst of such a situation and offer to join the new posting almost saying “Aa bail, muze maar” (much later I would learn a very unparliamentary version of this phrase in Odiya from my jovial senior Shri Ajit Tripathy!).
He was therefore quite quick. Before I could change my mind about joining, I was put in a ramshackle jeep with my luggage and dispatched to Jajpur.
The first phase of the floods got tackled uneventfully. I did create bit of a buzz by visiting flood affected areas early in the morning before the MLAs or their representatives did. This allowed me to have a first-hand knowledge and put the political leaders on the defensive. This was helpful in tackling the exaggerated claims for gratuitous relief in the wake of the floods. I must thank Shri Pradip Bhattacharya our Deputy Director at Mussouries for teaching us a few such tricks, but more about this in some other episode. More importantly, I was asked to review the flood preparedness for the possible second wave.
“People here are quite used to the floods Sir”, my experienced Emergency Officer told me. “Jajpur usually has three crops; the Rabi, the Kharif and the relief, and people are quite adept in the art of extracting relief from the Government. There is no discrimination done in this annual ritual. In fact, rich people seek relief with same zeal as the poor. The revenue administration also distributes it with equanimity. We are well prepared to reach every village, wither by road or by boats, even motor launches that could ply along the course of different rivers. While the boatmen are engaged for the flood season on a monthly basis, the launch drivers are engaged for the entire year, irrespective of whether it needs to run for 65 days or 365 days.”
“Have all the boats been checked for their flood readiness?” I asked. “Yes, of course”, was a confident answer that was put to test very soon. After a few days, the Collector decided to make an unscheduled visit to see the flood preparedness. The District Office informed a day in advance that he will be coning to Rasulpur block and then visit Kamalpur which was on the banks of Kharsuan. The launch may therefore be arranged. The SDM should also accompany the Collector.
“Kharsuan means strong current”, my old and experienced orderly Shambhu informed me. The river was again in spate, the boatmen needed to be careful. But since the motor launch was quite powerful, there was no reason to worry. I had often seen it while crossing the bridge on the river Kharsuan. The Block Development Officer, or the BDO of Rasulpur, a young and capable officer, was duly informed.
Next day, I reached the block office early enough. The BDO and the block staff were present in full strength. While pecking at the customary cashew nuts and biscuits, I inquired if all arrangements have been made.
“Yes Sir. We have. Incidentally Sir, the ADM Sir is also coming. He is a non – vegetarian. But I understand that you are completely vegetarian.” I replied in the affirmative, through a bit puzzled about this veg and non-veg aspect. Perhaps they must be taking packed lunch along.
While disposing various files related to the block development work, I casually remarked, “We should leave by 10.30. I hope that is okay”.
“Would that not be rather early Sir?” The BDO looked rather worried. We will need some more time. Moreover, it can be quite late by the time we come back. Before I could respond, the wailing siren indicated that the carcade of the Collector was nearing the BDO’s office. He was coming straightaway from Cuttack. No need to halt at the nearby revenue bungalow.
After reaching, the Collector reviewed the flood preparedness, inquired about the water level in different stations and the arrangements for distributing required relief material, specially the dry ration like the rice flakes i.e. chudaa and jaggery (which could sometimes act as the lifeline!). After a while, he remarked “Shall we proceed?”
Proceed? The BDO was somewhat perplexed. “Sir has just arrived. He could consider taking some rest. The arrangements will take a while.”
“Take a while?” I became impatient. “Why will it take time? I did inform yesterday itself. Had also specified Sir’s arrival time. Why were the preparations done earlier?”
“Arrangements have been made Sir, but will it not be too early for the lunch?”
“Lunch? What Lunch? I had sent the message to keep the Launch ready!”
He the penny dropped. The message on wireless to keep the launch ready was mistaken to mean to keep the ‘lunch’ ready. Those familiar with the East Indian diction will empathize with the BDO. For me this was a bolt from the blue! The Collector guffawed, I was deeply embarrassed. “Never mind” I kept a brave face. Get the Motor Launch ready. The driver must be ready. Locate him. We need to leave ASAP.”
A chastened BDO appeared after a while. “The launch needs some diesel. We have sent the jeep to the petrol pump at Panikoili. It will take a while. Could Sirs have lunch in the meantime …..”
“Lunch at this hour, and that too before boarding a motor launch?” The Collector was irritated. “Are you out of your mind?”
The wharf was not too far off. We reached the left bank of the river where the launch was tethered. The tank was being filled up with Diesel with a sense of urgency. Kamalpur was upstream. The bridge with its seven piers could be seen to our right a little downstream, with the usual traffic on it.
As it usually happens, a small crowd of onlookers gathered seeing us and the post haste preparations around the launch. Many were curious about what we were there for. After some whispers and some murmurs, one of them gathered courage and asked hesitantly as to where did we intend to go. “Kamalpur” said the BDO rather curtly, hinting that they were better off minding their own business.
“In this launch?” the incredulous query conveyed a lot. “Why?” I snapped. “What’s wrong with this launch?”
“Nothing wrong Sir, it’s just that we have never this launch in operation. So, we wanted to see as to how it navigates upstream. The current is rather strong today.”
“You mean it can’t go upstream against this current?” The BDO was bit irritated. “It does have a larger engine. It should be able to move upstream.”
“It certainly would, if Sir says so. We are ignorant rustic people Sir. Since we had not seen the launch in operation anytime recently, we wondered if it would be able to make the journey.” His feigned politeness was quite deceptive.
“Do you have any doubts?” I asked. “We don’t know Sir. The launch has been like a leashed dog. One does not know if it will bite at all, when unleashed. We have always found it tethered here, not seen it cruising along the river.”
By this time, the engine of the launch had whimpered into action. “Proof of pudding is in its eating” I said. We will find soon enough what the launch does.
To my surprise, instead of coming towards us, the launch moved downstream away from us. My jeep driver patiently explained, “It will follow an arc and then move upstream this side.”
I could not notice any arc. The launch kept going downstream in a straight line and went past the bridge, avoiding a near collision wit one pier. All that the launch man was able to communicate to Shambhu in some sign language that only they could decipher, was that he was unable to control the launch and will try and stabilize it downstream somewhere.
BDO’s fac was pale. I was embarrassed. Collector was clearly angry, “What kind of a BDO it is? We asked him to keep the launch ready and he got busy making the lunch ready.”
My driver, Sattar, tried to salvage the situation. “Sir, there is an alternative route for Kamalpur. There is a small river. The jeep can go to the boat point from where we can go to Kamalpur in a country boat.”
It was decided that we will go to Kamalpur. Come what may. If it is country boat, so be it. Our carcade reached the boat point of the small tributary. We could see a group of people awaiting the boat which was tethered on the other bank. The boatman was not in sight.
“Where has Birju gone?” Shambhu took charged and asked at the nearest pan shop. “He must be around somewhere. You can ask his mother. She is sitting below the Bunyan tree.”
“Birju has gone to have a cup of tea.” Declared the toothless lady.
“To have tea?” I glanced at my watch. “Is it time for a tea break? How can he be absent during working hours? Does he not get the monthly rent fixed for him?” I asked tersely.
An equally terse reply came. “The money you give, is adequate only for having tea. It does not buy us the rice.” Even in this moment of irritation, the Collector gave a hearty laugh at this Jajpur wit. “It’s okay. Let him come. Let us get the boat to this bank in the meantime.”
Oh, yes. The boat was on the other bank. A loud yell from this side, and the gentleman taking bath on the other bank, got into the boat and navigated it to this side with the kelp of a long pole. This is a common feature of shallow rivers and small country boats.
By this time Birju had also arrived. We got into the boat. A few more people wanted to get in. I asked them not to, and wait for the next round. The Collector was more considerate. “Let them in. Poor fellows must be waiting for a while now.”
As soon as 4-5 ‘poor fellows’ were allowed in, many passengers emerged, miraculously from nowhere with their cargo and small animals in tow. I politely told the Collector, “Sir, we can’t be so democratic here. Some of the people need to get off”. Then I rather sternly informed everyone that Collector Saheb was going to Kamalpur. Only Kamalpur bound people can stay on. The boat will not stop anywhere en route etc etc.”
The sternness worked. Birju also realized that some very important people were going in his boat. For him SDM was the BDO’s boss and Collector, the SDM’s boss. He also threw his weight around and offloaded a few more passengers. Before the boat sailed, the warning was repeated. The boat will straight go to Kamalpur. Anyone acting smart and asking to get off en route, will have to get off mid-stream. This worked, since two to three ‘smart’ ones got off the boat on their own. The boat was pushed into the stream and Birju took deftly over with the long pole under his command.
We may have hardly gone some distance, a request came. “Bhai, please let me get off on the other end a bit further ahead.” This got my goat. I addressed the gentleman rather curtly. “Did you not pay attention to the repeated warning, delivered in pucca Odiya, that only Kamalpur bound passengers should get into the boat. Can’t you understand such a simple instruction? Who asked you to pile on?”
Looking at me with a steady gaze, the gentleman replied calmly “Oh I see. But pray, who brought the boat from that bank for you, may I know?”