In Dhundalwadi, the Ashram Shala suffered serious damage in the earthquake. (Express Photo by Deepak Joshi)As soon as dawn broke on Thursday, hours after a quake hit Dahanu, Ganesh Gimbhale began walking the 7-km stretch from his village in Haladpada to a school in Dhundalwadi, where children including his son were taking shelter. “Nobody in the family slept after the earthquake and I remembered that my son Arnav’s Ashram Shala had a wall that was on the verge of breaking,” he said.
After registering one of the highest tremors at around 1.04 am on Thursday, the entire region was shaken. “When the earthquakes stopped (for about a month), we actually thought it was over for good. Last night was like a rude reminder,” Gimbhale said.
Gimbhale was one of many parents who lined up at the Dhundalwadi Ashram Shala, trying to take their children back home. The school’s headmaster, Ullas Satvi, said, “Last night, when the earthquake occurred, we rushed out to see the wall crumble and rubble fall from the ceiling of one part of the building. Parts of the ceiling of the women’s hostel crumbled as well,” he said.
The school had received big tents — the kind used for wedding celebrations — provided by the government for the children to sleep in. “When the earthquakes had stopped in between, we packed them off,” Satvi said.
The school’s headmaster, Ullas Satvi, said, “Last night, when the earthquake occurred, we rushed out to see the wall crumble and rubble fall from the ceiling of one part of the building. Parts of the ceiling of the women’s hostel crumbled as well,” he said.The villagers, including children, sat on the wet ground with umbrellas as shock after shock passed under their feet on the intervening night of Wednesday and Thursday.
“The tents provided by the government are either in a really bad condition or they have been taken back by the local authorities. They would have been completely useless as the ground is extremely wet and they are not waterproof,” said Rajesh Churu, a resident of Dhundalwadi.
“We were going to sleep at the school. But now that the building has lost parts of the ceiling, I don’t know what to do. I am not sure if wooden houses or cement houses are better in these circumstances,” he added.
Palghar Collector Kailash Shinde said residents were made aware of procedures to follow during earthquakes, but their shock was leading to chaos.
“They had just forgotten about the earthquakes and now they are scared. However, we are monitoring the situation. In case the situation persists, we will build temporary shelters with the help of NDRF,” he said, adding, “As of now, we have seen no major structural damage in cement houses.”
For Gimbhale, this doesn’t seem to mean much. “I don’t know what NDRF means and what they can do. I know I can keep my child safe, so I want to take him back,” he said.
Satvi pleaded with parents to let the children remain, but after a point, he agreed to their demands. “I can’t take responsibility for all the children here, not when I don’t even have the infrastructure. But most of these kids might never come back to a school,” he said.
“During the day, we take full responsibility but parents are going to be relaxed if children return home. Until there’s a better solution,” he added.
For the residents of 18-odd villages in Dahanu, there doesn’t seem to be a solution. Vinod Baige, a resident of Karanjvira village, said, “It is a hectic time for us all, there is a lot of work on the farm. And at the end of it, we can’t even sleep. If we are inside the house, it might collapse. If we’re outside, the rain or snakes or some other animal will get us. If nothing, I think we will die of exhaustion.”
