Post Tsunami (26-Dec-2004) files

The UNICEF Ambulance !

Katchal Diary

I was posted as the Medical Officer at Katchal Island [Nicobar District] from June till November 2005 (about 6 months after the Boxing day Tsunami 2004).

Around mid October 2005, I received an offical signal (telegram) from PortBlair that UNICEF informing me about an 1 ambulance being sent for "better medical coverage".

The pantoon towed by small boat The pantoon towed by small boat
The news was a surprise to me because the Health Center (PHC) already had a brand new Ambulance of the same make and type (Tata Sumo) and it was unnecessary to have 1 more vehicle when the total motorable road left after Tsunami was just 7 (seven) kms !. The health Centre even had a bike provided by some NGO. My Director sitting at Port Blair refused to divert the vehicle to another needy PHC because UNICEF officials wanted the vehicle to be at Tsunami effected area even though it was not required. Anyway my opinion did not matter because I was informed about the vehicle only when it was already on its to Katchal from Port Blair Harbour.

UNICEF and a bunch of NGO's sent lot of such unwanted items like mosquito repellent cream tubes (odomos cream - thousands of them ... that the local Nicobari population never used !), water testing kits, dumped near expiry medications, The list is endless .... !.

Unloading goods at Katchal was difficult because the Jetty at Katchal disappeared due to the impact of Tsunami on 26th Dec 2004. The disappearance was complete without any traces of the debris. Since then the supply of essential goods was erratic. The Ambulance arrived by a cargo ship M.V. Tarakiran waiting in the sea about 1km away from the Kapanga Shore.

Ambulance lifted by the crane Ambulance lifted by the crane

The pantoon towed by small boat The pantoon towed by small boat

All the cargo arriving by ships were required to be transfered on a pontoon between the shore and the achored Ship. One local contractor using his own labour and means was involved in shifting of goods.

Another surprise awaited that since the vehicle was not sent by our usual offical government channel there was no process of paying the local contractor for unloading the vehicle. Talks with UNICEF officals and my Director yeilded no solution to the problem. At last the local contractor Mr. Muruganandam helped me out with his resources (boat, labourers, driver) to unload the vehicle for free.

2 Ambulance at Katchal It was an unique experience to observe the vehicle being lifted up mid sea and transferred to the pontoon (pantoon is a hollow floating docking station made of iron). Any wrong move while transferring would have left us with no vehicle (its mid sea what will happen ?).
Even with all precautions the vehicle suffered damages : A big dent on the front near the left wheel , broken parking lights and yes lots of coal tar stains !. That instantly explained the mystery why every four wheel vehicle at Katchal had dents and cracks. It was interesting too see the 2 ton heavy pantoon being towed by a small fishing boat to the shores.

Magical Equations at PHC Katchal in 2005


One doctor, 2 Tata Sumo Jeeps, 1 Hero Honda splendor motorcycle, 1857 population, 7 kilometers of total road distance! and worst of all - no hospital building even after one year of Tsunami.