FOR over two months now, Pandhana tehsil in Khandwa district of Madhya Pradesh has been rocked by a spate of temperamental tremors. Numbering over 1,100, they have been whimsical in intensity and unwilling to yield the secret of their origin. The frequency has varied from 90 on September 14 to 101 on October 11, but inevitably, they occur everyday. And at least one scientist believes a major earthquake's due in the region (see interview).
Says Kamala Kusva, a local: "Yes, we are frightened but where can we go? In the beginning most of us fled to relatives' homes in neighbouring villages. But how long can we stay anywhere else? We are now adjusting to our new life although we often despair that this wait is endless."
The surface tension is palpable, even as people rush out and promptly classify the tremors as "bhari" or "halka". Having once abandoned their homes, they have returned with a fatalistic acceptance.
With a population of 10,000, Pandhana has been identified as the epicentre of the activity. With a major fault detected along the Narmada, seismic activity in the region is not surprising. But B.V. Srirama of the Geological Survey of India notes that since the major fault is far from these epicentral locations, "it can be derived that the present activity has no connection with the major fault". The stretched-out rumblings have been identified by the Indian Meteorological Department (IMD) as "swarm activity, shallow in nature and quite unlike a major earthquake of the Latur sort."
The abounding theories have done little to alleviate the fear of the locals who live under the constant threat of the earth opening under their feet. "If the earthquake had hit when they had left, there would have been less casualties," says a clerk at the Pandhana tehsil office control room. "One hopes it does not happen now that everyone is back."
At the control room, an eye is always on the seismograph. "The highest recording on the Richter scale has been 3.5. Most times it has stayed under 3," says a member of the IMD team. Sensors in the ground, a high resolution seismograph and the accompanying disk recorder subsystem are as commonplace as fresh posters of the United India Insurance and New India Assurance companies exhorting the locals to have themselves, their livestock and their property insured. As many as 36,000 people have already been insured for Rs 50,000 each, for which the administration has already paid Rs 3.89 lakh as premium. "We are now asking people to insure their property as well, though this is being done on an individual basis," says R.P. Mandal, collector, Khandwa district. The compensations: Rs 50,000 for loss of life, Rs 25,000 for major injuries and Rs 1 lakh for property insured at an annual premium of Rs 70.
But ground realities seem to differ from those on paper. Chhagan Dakshe's home in Pandhana village has crumbled around him. But, says he, "Only people with pucca houses have been insured." Kalabai Dakshe in the neighbouring Harijan Colony gives the rift a new dimension: "The government plans to give us money after we are dead. My walls have broken down but who cares? If you are a Harijan and you have no money, then your loss does not matter."
Rumblings of discontent are being heard in other quarters too. From Sulochana Gangarde of Umarda village, whose husband Laxmi-narayan perished when the roof of the panchayat bhavan collapsed on him after a severe tremor. "The chief minister promised us Rs 10,000 as interim compensation. We've got nothing so far," she complains. Incidentally, the 55-year-old farmer is the first and only casualty of tremor-related accidents. Rooted to the land, Sulo-chana pleads inability to flee the village. "Our cotton, wheat, soyabean and jowar fields are here. Only daily-wage workers and landless labourers can afford to leave this place and go elsewhere," says the mother of two.
The wait is wearing the people—and their patience—out. Using their houses only to cook, families are living in tents, breaking the dreariness of their living conditions with fluorescent flowers and fancy lanterns. But the unseasonal showers and a scarcity of make-shift shelters are taking their toll. "The children are falling ill with fever and malaria by sleeping in the open," rues resident Vachchalabai Shivare.
The state of preparedness is being constantly upgraded. "In case of a quake, three mobile hospitals, five fire brigades and two excavator-dozers will be pressed into action. Forty additional constables have been posted at Pandhana and the minimum food for immediate relief has been stocked. Key officers with their respective teams will reach the affected sites in less than an hour," says Mandal.
Meanwhile, the rush to pitch tents has seen demand for bamboo outstrip supply. Those below the poverty line can get it at the subsidised rate of Rs 4.50, while others pay Rs 15. "There is tremendous demand even now," elaborates B.L. Jadia, subdivisional magistrate, Pandhana, "and we're trying to meet it. But what is bothering us right now is that the hiring charges of equipment like emergency lights now amount to more than the actual cost. Paying up without an earthquake taking place would invite accusations of wasteful expenditure. Not doing so would mean that people will not hire out stuff later fearing that there will be no payment." .
Echoing a similar sentiment, Mandal adds, "Rs 5 lakh worth of medicines and Rs 10 lakh worth of essential goods have been gathered. The people want relief right now. But the tragedy is that unless an earthquake takes place, no relief can be given."
Frustration is building up even as uncertainty mounts. The time of the Big One is unknown as is the area of maximum impact. "The frequency of the tremors seems to be on the wane but the prolonged period of an activity that should ideally subside within a month is worrisome. Also, since the direction of the fault is unknown, it is difficult to predict which will be the most affected areas," says the IMD team. Most of the villagers, though, are hoping that the energy building up below the earth's surface will be spent through the small tremors.
But the fissures are showing. Only this time, it is reflective of a people cracking under pressure.
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