1. Background:
   
   The very severe cyclonic storm Bulbul made its landfall on November 9th, 2019 affecting lakhs of people across the coastal districts of West Bengal and claiming 12 lives. The districts namely North and South 24 Parganas and East Midnapore were the most affected with more than 2.73 lakh families reportedly affected and 2473 houses completely destroyed. The cyclone was accompanied with torrential rain and gale winds gusting upto 135kmph, uprooting thousands of trees and damaging standing paddy crops, betel vine and fisheries, which are the main source of livelihood in the area.

   Bulbul made landfall near Sagar Island in West Bengal, causing storm surges as high as 7 ft severely affecting the neighbouring blocks of Namkhana, Kakdwip and Frazerganj, encompassing the entire Sunderbans area; approximately 3128 sq km have been reportedly affected in the Indian side of Sundarbans. The aftermath of the cyclonic storm left a grave situation in the ecologically sensitive islands of Mousuni and Sagar , with thousands of trees uprooted and communication snapped for days.

   Rationale of the project:
   
   Economy is Sundarbans is predominantly characterised by small scale paddy and fish cultivators. According to the World Bank report, almost 80% of households in Sundarbans pursue livelihood options that involve inefficient production methods in agriculture, fishing and aquaculture[1]. Frequent storm, tidal fluctuations and saline ingression have resulted in considerable economic losses for the farmers and the fish cultivators in the region. The damage assessment post cyclone Bulbul reported a loss  of more than 21.28 lakh hectares of cropland further adding to the uncertainty of the farming community. Crop damage due to the cyclone will have a wider implication on the household food security, as paddy is the staple diet in the region and the loss of standing crops just before the harvesting season will incur shortage in food availability and restrict access to food, thereby increasing malnutrition among the most vulnerable population. Damage to fisheries and betel vineyards, which are mainly grown for commercial purpose will have a negative impact on household income, reducing their purchasing capacity and deplete household savings. All these factors will further aggravate the socio-economic grievances of the riverine community. Therefore the need to promote alternate crops to alleviate food insecurity and revive the economy through livelihood support.

   Further, the deteriorating state of the fishery ponds, which is a major source of sustenance and livelihood and is also used for various domestic purpose, have become a public health concern in the community.
   
   All these factors in the community necessitates the initiation of immediate recovery program to restore household economy and mitigate emerging risks in post cyclone scenario.
   
   Needs Assessment post cyclone:
   
   A need assessment was conducted by Caritas India along with its Partner Palli Unnayan Samiti in 12 villages under Namkhana Block covering 3931 households. Immediate needs of the community involved provision of blankets and mosquito nets due to the approaching winter and the stagnant water conditions which have become breeding ground for mosquitoes.
   
   In the areas of livelihood, urgent need for supply of resources to support and repair local livelihood options and promotion of emergency short term agriculture activities through provision of seeds and implements have been stressed.
   
   A field visit by the Caritas India team in Monsuni and Sagar Islands covering 2 villages each towards November end involved discussion with affected households, Panchayat representatives (Monsoni and Muri Ganga 1 Panchayat) and partner field staff to understand the major aspects of damage and identify means to initiate recovery activities. Extensive damage to paddy fields and betel vineyards have been observed during the field visit. Most of the structures of the vineyard have collapsed, causing substantial damage to the betel leaves. With the onset of winter, there are apprehensions that the leaves will wither causing shortage of supply, which will cause a setback to the local economy as the demand for betel leaves increase during winter season.
   
   In one of the villages named Sikarpur in Sagar Island, 70% of the total 462 households depend on betel plantation for their livelihood.
   
   In Baliara, a hamlet in Monsuni Island, saline ingression and storm surges have rendered the previously cultivable land into wasteland, thereby forcing most of its inhabitants to migrant labourers.
   
   Most of the fishery ponds are severely eutrophicated, with the threat of salt water intrusion which have increased the salinity of the ponds making them uncultivable. The condition of ponds has deteriorated in the aftermath of the cyclone due to the debris from uprooted trees, making it inappropriate for fish rearing and domestic use. Suggestions have been made by villagers to decontaminate the ponds by chlorination.
   
   Government support as of date is limited to only tarpaulin and food support. However in the ongoing Gram Sabha meetings, the community has been informed of possible monetary compensation, in which the West Bengal Government will be compensating the loss of paddy, vineyard and vegetables based on the landholding. The compensation package will be Rs.54 per decimal; however the support is only based on the land size without considering the capital cost.
   
   Proposed Response:
   
   The proposed project aims to reach 1000 households in worst affected GPs of Monsuni and Sagar Island. The 1000 households will be supported with NFI kit.  Another 1814 households will be given livelihood support owing to the current loss. Theproject will cover 2 GPs , one each in Sagar and Monsuni Island (list to be shared) and will be implemented  by the local partner Palli Unnayan Samiti with thematic and operational support from Caritas India.
   
   The activities and results of the project has been designed based on the needs and gaps emerging from the field assessment.
   
   Impact: Communities in hazard prone areas of Sundarbans restore the physical and economic setbacks caused by cyclone Bulbul through revival of their livelihood and contribute towards a sustainable living through planning and informed decision making.
   
   Outcome 1: 1000 affected households have access to immediate humanitarian assistance
   
   Activities:
   1. Provision of NFI kits, consisting of mosquito net and blanket to 1000 families
   
   2. Decontamination of 200 ponds by chlorination

Outcome 2: 1814 families have restored their livelihood through input support and extension services
1. Support of high yielding varieties of paddy seeds to 750 households for the summer (Boro) cultivation
2. Support for repair of Betel vineyards to 64 families
3. Training on scientific fish rearing and support of fingerlings to 200 households
Promote nutrition garden through seed support to 800 families

Outcome 3: Community in 10 Villages accumulate local knowledge to deal with hazards and incorporate them into practice to secure physical assets and livelihoods
1. Village level Participatory Risk Assessment
2. Preparation of Village contingency and development plan
3. Submission of plans to Panchayat and District Administration
4. Formation and training of emergency response team
5. Sensitization of community on local governance and Disaster Management Act.
6. Study on understanding the role of mangroves and indigenous traditional 7. knowledge/coping practices in mitigating disaster risks.

Strategies for Implementation:
1. Program Participants will be selected based on Participatory Rural Appraisal, which will be further verified by project staff along with validation from the local government.
2. Partners will keep a track of the project progress with regular updates to Caritas India on the achievements of the project targets.
3. The mechanism for monitoring at the field level will be strengthened in line with the district and block levels and between the partners and local Government officials and elected representatives.
4. Participation of representatives from local government and important community and distric/block stakeholders will be ensured.
5. To facilitate monitoring of the activities in the field by local government and elected representatives:
a. A monthly action plan will be prepared and circulated to all concerned with the request to attend the same whenever they are visiting an area on a particular day.
b. A team of internal and external finance staff will regularly monitor all the partners and check the implementation and monitoring of all financial documents.
5. In addition, the Caritas India team, along with the directors of the implementing partners will regularly visit the field to monitor the progress of project activities as well as to provide supportive guidance.