Villagers in Palghar are on the edge after series of quakes have left their homes with huge cracks
A makeshift tent outside a home
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Thousands of tribal villagers from Jawhar in Palghar district have been forced out of their homes after a series of earthquakes hit the region in the last fortnight. With many homes developing huge cracks, the villagers have now built temporary huts outside their residences to avoid being killed in case of a major tragedy. The villages in the region have been on the edge since December 19, when locals first felt tremors thrice in one day -- 7.35 pm, 7.45 pm and at 11.30 pm.
Similarly, on December 20, 25 and 30, villagers felt another round of tremors. "On the morning of January 2, an earthquake measuring 3.2 on the Richter scale occurred at Walvanda, Shiroshi, Patardi and Kashivali in the Jawhar taluka," Santosh Shinde, tehsildar of the taluka confirmed.
Shinde has already carried out a panchnama, and the report will be submitted to higher state authorities soon. He has also demanded a survey of the villages by a geologist to ascertain the exact reason behind the frequent tremors.
"After every shock, we have carried out a panchnama. We want a survey to be carried out by the state with the help of a geologist," he said.
A huge crack along the wall of one of the homes. Pics/ Hanif Patel
"Most villagers have started residing outside their home. During the winters, it gets incredibly cold in the region and villagers are putting themselves at a lot of risk, by sleeping outside. We have been trying to assure them to stay put in their houses, but to no avail," Shinde added.
The villagers, however, have refused to budge. Madhukar Chaudhary, 63, who has built a temporary house with bamboos and sarees, said everyone in his village is on tenterhooks. "For the first time in nearly three decades, our home developed cracks. We can't take the risk of staying inside," he said.
A huge crack along the wall of one of the homes. Pics/ Hanif Patel
According to Chaudhary, there are around 3,000 to 3,500 villagers residing in the region. Most of the locals are dependent on farming. "Many of us have had to abandon our work. The government should compensate us for the losses we have incurred," added Chaudhary.
Madhukar Dhumada, a villager in his late 40s from Kashivali village, said "We have eight people in the family, including children. The authorities have asked us to stay inside our homes, but if anything happens after the quake, who will be responsible for our losses? The government needs to find out what's happening here before the situation gets worse."
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