West Bengal: Cyclone Yaas casts shadow on livelihood of fishermen in Digha

By Syeda Shabana Parveen
Purba Medinipur (West Bengal) [India], May 25 (ANI): The emergence of Cyclone Yaas has cast a shadow on the livelihood of fishermen in Digha in West Bengal.
After the India Meteorological Department (IMD) has issued a warning for cyclonic storm Yaas, the fishermen from the Digha or the Mohana area of Purba Medinipur are worried about their livings.
Mohana is the hub of fisheries, which has been completely shut down due to the warning. Fishermen are now busy tying up their trollers, which are used to catch fishes so that during the storm their trollers do not sink. These trollers are their lifeline for survival.
"We are tying up the trollers as we have been asked by the administration to avoid going to the sea to catch fishes. We have no other options for livelihood. We already are in crisis due to the COVID lockdown. And now, this natural calamity will only intensify our problems," a fisherman Kaustav Kanti told ANI.
Another fisherman Kamal Kanti said this kind of cyclone affects the fisherman community heavily as well as the business. He remembered the havoc created by Cyclone Amphan last year.
"We have eight trollers here. We catch fishes using these. Last year, we had to make up the same arrangements for Amphan. This year again another cyclone -- Yaas. Though it is not in our hands to avoid this, a bit earlier preparation can save us from this storm. The whole business of fisheries has been affected," Kamal Kanti told ANI.
The IMD on Tuesday predicted that the cyclonic storm Yaas is going to intensity into a 'very severe cyclonic storm' in the next 12 hours.
"The severe cyclonic storm Yaas over the east-central Bay of Bengal moved north-northwestwards with a speed of about 9 kmph during past six hours. It is very likely to intensify further into a very severe cyclonic storm during the next 12 hours. It would continue to move north-northwestwards, intensify further and reach the northwest Bay of Bengal near North Odisha and West Bengal coasts by May 26 early morning," the weather agency said. (ANI)