Science disconnected

The tsunami caused extensive damage in fragile coastal ecological niches:mangrove forests, coral reefs, sand dunes supporting unique vegetation were swept away. Soon, investigation and research turned its attention to these phenomena.

People living near mangrove forests have always known their worth as screens against forces of nature: floods, storms and cyclones, among others. After the tsunami, an international research team discovered just how important mangroves were in a dramatic way. In a recent paper published in the October 8 issue of the journal Science, they showed how three villages shielded by the Pichavam mangrove forests in Cuddalore district escaped without a single death, while two fishing hamlets on either side -- Pillumedu and MGR Thittu -- were devastated. Other studies showed that several villages shielded by mangrove forests in Indonesia suffered much less damage than neighbouring ones. The Science paper confirmed earlier laboratory experiments which showed that 30 trees per 100 square metres could reduce the intensity of a tsunami by more than 90 per cent.

The same went for coral reefs. A report published in National Geographic showed that settlements behind a bank of intact coral reefs in the Maldives similarly escaped the worst effects of the tsunami.

But it wasn't just looking back that was going on. People have also used their expertise to nurse ecologies that have been severely damaged. A team from Auroville that had been documenting trees and shrubs native to different coastal zones in southern India set out to work on the unique vegetation supported by sand dunes. Such vegetation is unusually tolerant to saltwater spray from waves, can withstand saline air, high daytime temperatures when the sand gets very hot and has roots that can find a footing in loose sand and reach the soil underneath. The Auroville team is using its expertise to revive sand bushes and trees.

Elsewhere, sand itself was the problem. Coastal vegetation that lined the seashore in many tsunami-affected areas were pulverised as the tsunami deposited tonnes of sand on nearby agricultural fields and water bodies. In Nagapattinam district, sand deposits and percolated saline water made fertile land up to three kilometres from the seashore uncultivable. The Tamil Nadu Organic Farmers' Movement (tofm), which was involved in reclaiming almost 2,350 hectares of land with the Conevant Centre for Development. tofm cultivated daincha, a plant that helps remove salt from the soil. The process lasts between four to six months, says Revathi, head of tofm's team.

Not in concert
But these attempts were, unfortunately, sporadic attempts at engaging with the post-tsunami scenario. The government made no concerted attempt at harnessing its not inconsiderable scientific arsenal for planning the rehabilitation drive. One reason was that most of the institutions that were working on tsunami-related were central government institutions, while rehabilitation was the state government's patch. Another reason was lack of initiative. In some places, individual administrators made the effort -- as in Nagapattinam, where Jagdish's expertise was drafted.

V Vivekanandan, chief executive of siffs, noted this disconnect. "It is really sad that the scientific institutions in the country had very little role in the rebuilding process," he told Down To Earth. Though several scientists individually came forward offering technical expertise, there wasn't any plan either on the part of the state or the centre to get them involved constructively.

Institutions like the Chennai-based National Institute of Ocean Technology and various Indian Space Research Organisation research centres working in areas like remote sensing could have provided ngos working in coastal areas with contour maps. This would have improved the planning of new settlements. The same goes for agriculture. The country has invested so much in agricultural research. But the contribution of the Indian Council of Agricultural Research in salvaging salt-affected agricultural fields was non-existent, Vivekanandan bemoans.

Vivekanadan's grouse is that students from the network of engineering colleges and polytechnics in the state were not involved in rehabilitation work, which could have given them invaluable experience and contributed to creating a nucleus of engineers and scientists who could later have contributed in similar situations. An opportunity was lost, Vivekanandan said. "All these show how disconnected our scientific community is when it comes to dealing with real-crisis situations."

It has to be noted, however, that though the scientific establishment did not contribute to reconstruction, it generated a lot of research on tsunami-related phenomenon.