August 31
There are also recent updates on Tsunami recovery efforts in India at the website
6 Months after:
Brief Update July 8
Housing
During this rehabilitation phase many have been moved out of the temporary camps: There are problems emerging with the housing provided:
Many have been given a one room house for the whole family - a tiny shed.
Common bathrooms are often far away.
The tin sheds are unbelievably hot in summer:
Villagers predicted this but government did not listen; Grassroots groups put up traditional palm-thatch houses as models but few international NGOs took notice - too busy meeting their targets. - "quality was not the priority".Land
A major contribution of the NGO effort was reported. "There was a common platform of NGOs, which helped to raise the most important political issue: that the government was trying to displace the poorest fisher-folk from their beaches. This consensus forced the government to withdraw its secret circular ordering the evacuation of the beaches."
Livelihoods - Long Term
Concern is expressed that many NGOs are giving support in the form of fishing boats. This is good, but they are also giving this support to those who were not fisher-folk ... so fisher-folk predict that over -fishing will quickly occur and all fisher-folk will suffer.
Second concern re fishing: Quote from the Society Guardian - UK newspaper
Father Tom Kocherry, an activist priest who runs Siff, says: "The World Bank, the EU, the WTO World Trade Organisation; all these people are rushing in with their own agendas, and government - local and central - is grabbing the opportunity to get its hands on more money. They are using the disaster, using people's distress, to play their own dirty games. Modernising the harbour means bringing in harbour-based fishing. That spells ruin for the ecology and for the poorest - the small fisherfolk.
"Big companies will take over and push out traditional fishing methods. In the long run, the tsunami victims will be displaced and will again become victims, thanks to the World Bank's underhand games. All over the world, people should unite and protest against this if they want to protect tsunami victims."
http://www.societyguardian.co.uk
During the Tsunami Survivor's Dialogue in Sri Lankla - the first teams from Tamil Nadu presented
23 villages were affected in our area and within one month NGOs and volunteer groups had constructed temporary accommodation.
Our efforts began mainly with the work of volunteer groups, in consultation with the community, and existing self-help and women’s groups.
The government has stated that a ‘500-meter setback zone’ will be imposed. However, people are already occupying this land and they are refusing to move as they own the coastline.
Drinking water is contaminated so government is supplying water, but there are still no toilets, and this especially affects women. 75,000 women support this effort.
Also - On this page
Lessons from the Past
The 2nd team from Tamil Nadu raised the following issues:
In our area, agriculture and fishing has been affected.
While the Government is assisting with the fishing industry it is discriminating against other employment groups.
In our area the government is imposing a ‘1000-meter setback zone’ and has encouraged people to sign an agreement to this, but they did not know what they were signing and are now very upset.
In the beginning, no assistance came as this area was said to be the least effected but then assistance came from other areas, without which people would have starved.
Some organisations gave materials for house construction and land for temporary housing (Tsunami Town).
Everybody living close to the coast needs to have their rights respected,
Some NGOs have not been successful in activating community group.
This area may not have had a significant loss of life but housing and livelihoods were greatly affected and the community feels that they have been ignored because of the low death toll.
Community groups collected information in 14 districts and 420 villages. The numerous NGOs were not co-ordinated and added to the confusion.
Temporary housing units were communal at first (20 sq. meter tents) and then individual housing units were constructed.
There were additional problems with fires.
Tsunami Relief Co-ordination met with District government to discuss the ‘setback zone’ issue.
Indian Survivors Plans for April - May - June
• Attempt to reach out all the effect households and inform them of their legal rights and options in order to make better decisions;
• Organise as many committees as possible at all levels for data collection, mobilisation and building of negotiation skills, income generation, people centred housing plans and design;
• It is through the linking of communities and their power that they will be strengthened as will existing self-help groups, youth groups etc., The role of NGOs is to be facilitators and intermediaries between the people and the government;
• A systematic documentation of exactly what is happening with the people centred approach is needed.
• Develop people centred models for sanitation, housing design and more to be as examples for other communities;
• The needs of specific groups must be documented, for example, women, those with a disability, caste discriminated groups etc.
WEEK 3
Some important lessons post disaster rehabilitation effort that followed the large earthquake in Gujarat in 2001
as reported the regional meeting in Phuket Thailand Jan 19 - 20 2005
India - On this page
Lessons from the Past
Future Plans
India Tsunami - Brief Update
In India there were 10, 714 confirmed deaths and 5,669still missing as of 17 January 2005. In addition some 400,000 people were rendered homeless by the tsunami. These people are being temporarily accommodated in some 600 camps.Rather than giving an overview on the current situation in Tamil Nadu and the Andaman and Nicobar Islands, the Indian representatives from Kutch Nav Nirman Abhiyan were invited to make a brief presentation on their experience in the post disaster rehabilitation effort that followed the large earthquake in Gujarat in 2001. What follows is a condensation of their presentation.
In the aftermath of a disaster there was a need to deter the government from inflicting inappropriate policies and programmes on the 600 villages and small towns affected by the earthquake. Though the government had set up the Gujarat State Disaster Management Authority (GSDMA), it was had only received token input from civil society. Though the GSDMA had hired several highly competent technical professionals the agency had little know how on how to work with the poor scattered villagers and therefore the role of the NGO sector was very important. But the NGOs were typically divided and focused on many different agendas so a coalition had to be formed with a clear commonly agreed purpose if it were to be able to serve as coordination mechanism for the flow of support from the Government and elsewhere to the affected villagers. There had to be some hard bargaining and conditions set before the 27 diverse NGOs could bring their 280 staff under the umbrella organization Kutch Nav Nirman Abhiyan.
The first step was to set up a center in each district and then help the villages to organize their own committees to document their current situation, their needs and their skills, etc. In order to facilitate lateral communication between villages and from villages up to the district and state level, teams of community (2) and NGO (1) members were deployed to visit, monitor and consult with 10 -12 villages. In this way the Abhiyan coordination centre in each district could provide support and carry up the responses of the villagers to proposals and policies that were forthcoming from government agencies. This helped to prevent the imposition of inappropriate or harmful interventions coming in from the government or elsewhere like foreign NGOs and bilateral and multilateral agencies.
Two major innovations were applied by Abhiyan in the rehabilitation and reconstruction effort. One was that it negotiated with the Government and the banks to provide every household with a bank account as quickly as possible. This enabled the inflow of funds not to be in cash and by so doing greatly limited the potential for corruption. The second was a system whereby the village committees would have the right to evaluate and approve or reject any NGO (local or international) coming in to help or undertake the village reconstruction process. Many NGOs were rejected and final evaluation showed that villages that managed their own reconstruction with financial support from Government and other sources had the highest satisfaction with the outcomes.
The Abhiyan experience also stressed that community and livelihoods were the key to rapid and long-term reconstruction and rehabilitation. Also the publishing of all accounts on a regular basis by all supporting NGOs as well as Abhiyan, helped to make the process more transparent and corruption free.
In the context of the post tsunami conditions and the enormous inflows of financial aid through government and the NGOs in countries like Indonesia, Sri Lanka and Thailand, the Indian representatives said that a framework had to be negotiated with the governments to ensure that all parties disbursed or spent that money within a common framework. Otherwise there was great potential for waste and mismanagement. Noting the announcements by various governments to provide centrally constructed housing for the victims they further urged that model villages should be constructed by communities (in their earlier locations as far as possible) with the support of civil society actors or pro-poor government agencies like CODI, to demonstrate that coastal protection measures and community led self help resettlement could co-exist. The Indian group also urged the formation of a legal watch unit to protect the minority groups like the Morghan fisher folk and the Burmese immigrant laborers. It was also advisable for some NGOs to concentrate on more people sensitive coastal planning, preferably in partnership with environmental and town planners to make the process a joint initiative to which government authorities would be more receptive.
On a positive note the Indian group also stressed that the rehabilitation and reconstruction process offered new prospects for the villagers themselves in terms of both livelihoods and housing and these should not be ignored. It was important to introduce new levels of environmental awareness, new technologies and architectural innovations to help them diversify their livelihoods, for example by build their new houses in such a way that they could accommodate tourists interested in encountering their culture and traditional lifestyles. It was important the delegation stressed not to let the reconstruction effort fall exclusively into the hands of the modern sector construction companies. The latter would be greedily hoping that government budgets would be steered in their direction.
Below are some stories from infochaneindia
Untouchability
What the tsunami couldn’t wash away
The dalit survivors of the tsunami were reportedly thrown out of relief camps, barred from using makeshift toilets, and given stale food. What will it take to wash away this powerful and destructive caste order that is so firmly rooted in Indian society, asks Chandra Bhan Prasad
http://www.infochangeindia.org/analysis58.jsp****************************
Coastal follies
Over 40% of India ’s mangroves have been destroyed. Coral reefs have been damaged in the Gulfs of Kutch and Mannar, and the Andamans. In Great Nicobar, 21 beaches have been lost to sand mining. Post-tsunami, we’ve got to rebuild our natural coastal defences, say Ashish Kothari and Manju Menon
http://www.infochangeindia.org/features242.jspFrom the Gender and Disaster Network
Community to Community Exchange
Five women survivors- leaders with previous experience of dealing with disasters of Latur (1993) and Gujarat (2001) reached Nagapattinam district on January 17th barely three weeks after the tsunami hit to express their solidarity with women like themselves. From January 17th to 20th 2005, the team visited 13 villages in the worst affected areas in Nagapattinam district. Eager to listen and share, women gathered spontaneously wherever they went. The team conducted group discussions with women's self groups, old age people, youth groups and fisherman cooperatives members.Involve locals in relief work,
says Medha Patkar
Social activist and environmentalist Medha Patkar has called upon the authorities to adopt a "tripartite approach" to the relief and rehabilitation operations in the tsunami-hit areas. She said the local community should be involved along with the officials and non-governmental organisations while deciding on the steps to be taken for their resettlement and resumption of livelihood.Local self-help groups could be formed in each village to procure the materials for the thatched roof and organise the local craftsmen. The local community must be empowered to monitor the execution of all kinds of works.
Sandeep Virmani from Kutch Nav NirmanAbhiyan with Peter Swan
in Thailand
January 19 2005
We will have a lot more from Sandeep Viramni on People Centered distater relief and rehablitation very soon.
Tsunami Asia
India you are here
A note from the Abiyan web site Jan 2005
As we all know, the deadly Tsunami waves which hit our shores on 26th December, 2004 have now claimed over 11000 lives in India's Southeastern coast. Thousands are missing, many have lost their loved ones and many have become homeless. The glimpses that the television sets are showing today of the disaster hit zones are no different from what Kutch experienced four years back. But with the support and helping hands from the world over, Kutch has been able to stand up once again. It is time now for all of us to stand by those who need our help, and support them in whatever ways we can...
An extensive fund raising campaign is being carried out by Abhiyan through its member organizations and associated NGOs. An appeal has been made by Abhiyan to the people of Kutch to rise to the situation and pay back to their capacity for the communities which has suffered in the devastating Tsunami.
The local NGOs active in the affected areas of Tamilnadu have requested Abhiyan, who has a recent experience of coordinating the earthquake relief and rehabilitation activities, to come forward for support. Our Abhiyan team has already reached the badly hit Nagapattinum district of Tamilnadu State to assess the situation and understand their needs so as to plan out immediate and long term support system for relief and rehabilitation of the affected.
As per the first hand report from Nagapattinum, there is lack of coordination between the local NGOs and the district administration for immediate relief operations and damage assessment, resulting into duplication. There is also a need to set up information management system to get the actual status of the situation in the affected areas so as to carry out need based action.
Abhiyan has established contacts with a few local organizations including South Indian Federation of Fishermen Societies(SIFFS) which is based in Nagapattinum district of Tamilnadu. This organization is working with fishermen community in the coastal belt of South India since last 20 years.
Based on the primary assessment of Abhiyan and discussions with local government and non government agencies, the following activities are planned to be carried out immediately for short term and long term programmes:
• Setting up of village level information centres (similar to the Setu centres in Kutch) in the 45 affected coastal villages of Nagapattinum which would act as a bridge between the affected communities, the Government and the local NGOs
• Setting up of a district level coordination centre in Nagapattinum with database management and map generation facilities and also to collecively plan out rehabilitation activities keeping in mind the needs of the affected villages
• To work for interim provision of housing to the affected families by supporting them in terms of material
• To restore livelihoods of the affected fishermen community by involving them in repairing their damaged boats and other equipments, instead of providing cash doles
• To facilitate permanent shelter reconstruction programme by providing design support for cyclone proof houses, in consultation with Auroville Pondicherry and Hunnarshaala, Bhuj (Foundation for Building Technology & Innovation promoted by Abhiyan).
The IT Secretary of Tamilnadu who is appointed by the State Government as the NGO coordinator for coordinating relief and rehabilitation efforts in the State, is aware of the work done by Abhiyan in Kutch post the earthquake and has requested Abhiyan to support them in setting up the required systems.
To coordinate the Tsunami relief and rehabilitation activities, Abhiyan has setup one coordination centre in its campus in Bhuj and one base camp in Nagapattinum in SIFF campus.
Go direct to the
Kutch Nav Nirman Abhiyan
web site in India
HEREAn appeal from Kutch Nav Nirman Abhiyan to all our partners, who have played a pivotal role in strengthening the communities of Kutch post the devastating earthquake, to join us once again with the same spirit, for the tsunami affected communities in South India.
You can send your contribution by Cheque/D.D. in favour of
- 'Kutch Nav Nirman Abhiyan' on the following address:
Kutch Nav Nirman Abhiyan Dr. Rajaram Campus,Nr. St. Xavier's English Primary School,Camp Area,Bhuj - Kutch - 370001The same can be transferred directly in the following bank accounts of Abhiyan :
• ICICI(Bhuj Branch) Account No: 008601005468 (for all contributions in Indian Currency)
Punjab National Bank (Bhuj Branch) Account No.: 17446 (for all contributions in Foreign Currency)
The donation received will be exempted under section 80G of Income Tax Act.
Jan 6
ACHR - SDI EXCHNAGE VISIT
Somsook Boonyabancha from Thailand and Celine D'Cruz India met with the Women's Bank in Sri Lanka - to exchange experinces so far in the 3 countries - of the grassroots network support systems to the people effected - and help plan the next phase.
Celine's report will be posted very soon.
Jan 3
SPARC Alliance
We have early news of members of the federation in Pondicherry who have died and many more whose houses have been swept away. Padma and a team from south India are visiting all the Tamil Nadu cities and will let us know what they review as the most useful contribution the alliance can make in the crisis and later development phase. - Sheela
Jan 3
Some 9,500 people have been confirmed dead and nearly 6,000 people are still missing across the affected regions in India. Most of the dead are in Tamil Nadu - and the figure could keep rising as information comes in from remote areas. At least 140,000 people, mostly from fishing families, are in relief centres.
31 Dec
Panic swept southern India and the Andaman Islands following a government minister's remark that more waves might hit the area. Thousands of people fled inland before he clarified that he was advising caution, not alarm.
The official death toll is more than 11,000, with most of the dead in Tamil Nadu - and it could keep rising as information comes in from remote areas.
30 Dec
More than 2,000km (1,200 miles) of southern coast was swamped by waves and the state of Tamil Nadu was particularly badly hit, along with Andhra Pradesh and Kerala.
The death toll stands at 7,000 people, but many areas have lost communication so it is expected many more than reported so far have been affected.
The far-flung Andaman and Nicobar islands, owned by India but nearer Indonesia, have also been badly hit.