The recent change in the behaviour of the Arabian Sea due to climate change has taken its toll on the artisanal fishermen. The situation is such that these seasoned traditional fishermen who used to venture out into the seas on catamarans or country boats no longer dare to do so. Highlighting the situation along the coast of the Arabian Sea, especially the 80 km stretch in Thiruvananthapuram, is the 45-minute documentary ‘Crashing Waves.’
Vincy Lopez, the cameraman of the documentary, says, “The idea of filming a documentary about the situation in the Arabian Sea and its effect on the fishing community took root during a conversation that I had with Maxmillan Martin on a research project titled ‘Forecasting with Fishers’, which was being locally led by Cusat.”
The documentary, which has been directed by John Bennet, captures the stories of the local fishing community of Thiruvananthapuram through breathtaking and dramatic footage of fishers braving the turbulent high seas. “The situation along the coast of Thiruvananthapuram is such that the fishers who used to venture out to the sea on their traditional boats today are afraid to do so. The reason? The change in the current pattern, the huge waves and the unexpected weather changes,” said Vincy. New research from the University of Sussex and Cochin University of Science and Technology (Cusat) found an increasing trend in weather systems evolving into more powerful and destructive storms across the Arabian Sea.
The researchers are urging for the implementation of more robust localised climate adaptation strategies such as ‘Radio Monsoon’, a low-tech weather forecasting service developed by both institutions. “The research paper demonstrated that shifting dynamics in ocean and atmospheric warming patterns are contributing to the heightened intensity of cyclones which is causing significant challenges in the areas of weather forecasting, disaster risk reduction, and humanitarian interventions, especially for the densely populated coastlines bordering the Arabian Sea,” Maxmillan Martin, who was part of the research team, said.