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An Open Letter on the Devastation in India

A CARE staff member reflects on the devastation and the road to recovery in India following a recent visit

Dear All,

I have just returned from two days in Bhuj district where I witnessed firsthand the enormous destruction caused by the earthquake in Gujarat. Whole villages have been completely flattened. Banks, schools, government offices, stores, tea stalls -- all collapsed. It is like "Guernica" without the bomb

Ambler. Photo © CARE 2001.

The earthquake has been a great leveler in socio-economic as well as physical ways. The rich have suffered more material losses than the poor, which is different than is the case in many natural disasters. Although richer villagers will be able to rebound more quickly, they are in a weaker position to provide work for poorer villagers, as has been the case in the past. The economy has been severely disrupted at multiple levels -- farm level, village level, market town level, district level, even state capital level -- because the destruction is so widespread. Economic linkages, forward and backward, have been severed, and getting those linkages reopened will be vitally important. The construction industry will be a major mover in terms of providing jobs, especially if actions are designed to absorb and train local labor. But attention will need to be paid to many dimensions of rebuilding livelihoods: reconstruction of damaged wells, linking artisans to markets again, reopening savings and credit mechanisms, etc. Fortunately, the transportation links in the region remain good, so that will certainly help.

Ambler contemplates some of the quake destruction. Photo © CARE 2001.

But just to illustrate how complex farm level reconstruction will be, irrigation infrastructure and agriculture itself in many places may have to be significantly reordered. Kutch is an area with complicated hydro-geology. In some places, saline aquifers overlie fresh water aquifers; in other places it is the reverse. The earthquake has caused complicated changes in this hydrology. In some places, water tables have risen, in others they have fallen. In some cases, wells have become saline, in other cases sweeter. These changes will not only demand reassessment of irrigation infrastructure, but also reassesment of what crops can be grown, or even if irrigated agriculture is still possible. Local production and labor absorption patterns could be significantly altered in some villages.

The CARE-FICCI tie up has the potential to put us at the center

John Ambler stands in front of earthquake rubble during a recent visit to Bhuj, India. Photo © CARE 2001.

There is so much to be done in India. In many cases, we are helping people start from scratch, a literal rebuilding from the rubble. I was humbled by the enormity of the task to be undertaken. But I was honored by the opportunity, or even the mandate, to reach out and help. To be able, at a time when death and destruction abound, to make a dramatic difference in the lives of many. To help the hardy people of Kutch, now bereft and bereaved, bend the tide of fate just enough to bring a touch of hope to the future.

Best Regards,

John Ambler,
Regional Director
Asia
CARE USA

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