WHEN THE EARTH
SHOOK!
ENVIRONMENTAL
STUDIES
CBSE-V
A
bad dream
Help!
Help! Save me! Aaahhh! Ooooww… There was screaming and shouting everywhere. The
ground was shaking and people were running all around.
Screaming
loudly I got up. On hearing me my mother also woke up. She came running and
held me tight. It was the same bad dream! It has been more than six years now
since the earthquake. But in my sleep I still feel the earth shaking and
trembling.
I
am Jasma. I live in the Kutch area of Gujarat. I was eleven years old when there
was an earthquake. It was 26 January, 2001. Everyone from the village –
children and old people – had gathered in the ground of the school to watch the
parade on TV. Suddenly the ground was shaking. People were scared and started
running here and there. No one knew what was happening and what to do. There
was total panic!
In
a few minutes, our village was flat on the ground. All our things – clothes,
pots, grains and food – were trapped under the stones, mud and wood from the
fallen houses. At that time everyone thought of two things – to save the people
who were trapped and to treat the injured.
The
village hospital was also damaged. Many people were seriously injured. My leg
also got fractured. The doctor treated people with the help of the villagers.
Six
people of our village died. My grandfather (Nana)was also buried under the
houses. My mother wept all the time. Seeing my mother, I also cried. The entire
village was sad and disturbed.
House
of Motabapu who is the sarpanch of our village was not much damaged. He gave
rice and wheat to everyone from his godown. For many days, the village women
cooked food together at Motabapu’s house and fed everyone.
Imagine,
being without a house in the cold winter! Fear and the cold kept us awake in
the nights. All the time we were worried that there may be another earthquake.
Help
arrives
For
some days after that, people from the cities kept coming to see what had
happened. They came with food, medicines and clothes. Everyone used to rush to
take these things. The clothes that we got were very different. We had never
worn such clothes before. People from different groups from the city, helped us
to put up the tents. Staying in these plastic tents in the cold winter months
was very difficult.
Some
of these people were scientists. They tried to find out which areas have more
chances of having an earthquake. People from our village talked to them many
times.
They
had suggestions about building our houses again. Engineers and architects
showed us some special designs for houses. They said that with this design,
houses would not get damaged much in an earthquake. But our people were a
little afraid.
They
thought if these people build our houses, our village will not look like our
old village. So, the villagers thought they would build their own houses with
their help. The groups would build the village school.
We
all worked together to rebuild our village. Some people dug and brought the
clay from the pond. We mixed the clay with cow dung and made large cakes.
We
put these on one another to make the walls. We whitewashed the walls and
decorated them with beautiful designs and small pieces of mirrors. We put up
the thatched roof. Now our house shines like a diamond in the dark night!
Who
helped?
Read
this TV report on the Bhuj earthquake.
Ahmedabad,
January 26, 2001 At least a thousand people are feared dead in the earthquake
that struck Gujarat this morning. Many thousands have been injured. Army jawans
have been called in to help.
At
least a hundred and fifty buildings have fallen in the city of Ahmedabad. In
these, there are a dozen multi-storeyed buildings. By this evening, around 250
bodies have been removed from these buildings. It is feared that several
thousand people may still be trapped.
Rescue
efforts are on. There is perhaps no building in the city which has not
developed cracks.
The
situation in Bhuj is even worse. People are running around in shock and panic.
Within an hour of the earthquake the fire engines had reached and started work
along with the local people. Offers to help are coming from all corners of the
country and abroad.
If
there is no rain, crops can fail and there can be a drought. But food for
people can be brought from other places so that there is no famine, which means
people don’t have to stay hungry, and they don’t die of hunger.
THANKYOU,
NANDITHA
AKUNURI
