Pulomilo Island
Pulomilo
Pilomillow, Pulo Milo | |
|---|---|
village | |
 Pulomilo is located to the north-west of the Little Nicobar Island | |
| Country | India |
| State | Andaman and Nicobar Islands |
| District | Nicobar |
| Tehsil | Great Nicobar |
| Area | |
• Total | 1.3 km2 (0.5 sq mi) |
| Population (2011) | |
• Total | 20 |
| • Density | 15/km2 (40/sq mi) |
| Time zone | UTC+5:30 (IST) |
| Census code | 645140 |
Pulomilo (1.3 km²) is an island in the Nicobar district of Andaman and Nicobar Islands, India, and home to the village of the same name. It is located just north of Little Nicobar Island, and is administered as part of the Great Nicobar tehsil.[1]
Before the 2004 Indian Ocean earthquake and tsunami, Pulomilo was connected to the Little Nicobar island. After the earthquake and tsunami, it became an island, as most of its land — except a small hilltop — was eroded or submerged.[2] Today, at 1.3 km² , it is the smallest inhabited island in the Nicobar Islands group.
Of Pulomilo's 1.3 km², 1.29 km² are covered in forest, and the main crop produced on the island is coconut in the form of copra.[3][4] The island has no electricity,[3] and the primary mode of transport is by boat.[4][5]
Pulomilo also receives a tiny share of the Nicobar tourist trade. One late 20th Century visitor described Pulomilo as a "stunning, magnificent Island" marked by "lush, green, rain-washed coconut plantations" beyond "a golden sandy beach, behind which lay stilted thatched huts"[6]
Demographics
Pulomilo Island's sole settlement is the village of Pulomilo.[3]
The 2001 census showed a population of 138 individuals distributed among 34 households, while other data show that just prior to the 2004 Indian Ocean earthquake and tsunami the population stood at 214.[3][4]: 29, 35
According to the 2011 census data, today Pulomilo has a total population of 20 individuals in 5 households.[7] The primary language spoken among the residents is the Channai Payuh dialect of Nicobari[3][5] and most are Christians.[3] The effective literacy rate (i.e. the literacy rate of population excluding children aged 6 and below) is 82.35%.[7]
Impact of 2004 Earthquake and Tsunami
Pulomilo was devastated by the 2004 Indian Ocean earthquake and tsunami. There were initial fears that the entire population had been drowned,[8] but later reports showed that the island had been evacuated.[9][10][11]
One-hundred five people were killed by the 2004 disaster on Pulomilo, representing 49.1% of the island's population. Of the 109 survivors, 15 (13.8%) had suffered an injury severe enough to be reportable and almost half (41 individuals) experienced diarrhoea, dysentery, fever, or a respiratory infection.[4]
Besides the human losses, Pulomilo's economy and infrastructure were also devastated. Before the tsunami, Pulomilo residents enjoyed a few hours of electricity each night, and the village accommodated a small police post and radio house manned on a rotational basis.[5] The tsunami swept away most structures on the island.[4]
Not only were buildings shattered, but the tsunami also severely eroded the villagers ability to sustain themselves. It destroyed twenty-two of the islanders' outrigger canoes and eight boats,[4] leaving only two embarkations in working order,[5] and killed 823 livestock animals,[4] including 239 pigs belonging to 25 families.[12]
References
- ^ "Andaman and Nicobar Islands villages" (PDF). Land Records Information Systems Division, NIC. Retrieved 2015-07-25.
- ^ Rajib Shaw (2006). Recovery from the Indian Ocean Tsunami Disaster. Emerald Group Publishing. pp. 58–. ISBN 978-1-84544-954-4.
- ^ a b c d e f "Pulomilo Island" (PDF). Andaman & Nicobar Administration Directorate of Economics & Statistics. 2006. Retrieved 2015-08-12.
- ^ a b c d e f g Dr. V.R. Rao (14 May 2007). Tsunami in South Asia: Studies of Impact on Communities of Andaman and Nicobar Islands. Allied Publishers. p. 40. ISBN 9788184241891.
- ^ a b c d Manish Chandi (November 2006). "Rehabilitation and change in the aftermath of a tsunami. A return to Little Nicobar Island". Academia.edu. Retrieved 2015-08-12.
- ^ H. P. S. Virk (2015). Rendezvous: Forbidden Land of the 'Nicobar Islands'. Friesen Press. p. 29. ISBN 978-1460258767.
- ^ a b "District Census Handbook - Andaman & Nicobar Islands" (PDF). 2011 Census of India. Directorate of Census Operations, Andaman & Nicobar Islands. Retrieved 2015-07-21.
- ^ Hamish McDonald (2005-01-12). "A queen leaves her shattered island realm". Retrieved 2015-08-12.
- ^ Rajib Shaw (2006). Recovery from the Indian Ocean Tsunami Disaster. Emerald Group Publishing. p. 74. ISBN 978-1-84544-954-4.
- ^ A. K. Sengupta, Office of WHO Representative to India (2005). "India: Weekly Tsunami Situation Report as on 24 February 2005" (PDF). World Health Organization. p. 1. Retrieved 2015-08-12.
- ^ Ramakrishnan Korakandy (2008). Fisheries Development in India: The Political Economy of Unsustainable Development, Vol. 2. Kalpaz Publications. pp. 267–368. ISBN 81-7835-634-1.
- ^ S. Jeyakumar & A. Kundu. "Livestock and Poultry Germplasm of Andaman and Nicobar Islands with Special Reference to the Nicobari Pig in 'Livestock-based Livelihoods: An action programme for the Andaman and Nicobar Islands. Proceedings of the Seminar held in Port Blair, Andamans, 23-24 November 2006'" (PDF). Anthra. p. 43. Retrieved 2015-08-12.