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Permanent
rehabilitation of those whose lives had been wrecked
by the tsunami was always going to be the biggest challenge
for government institutions, aid agencies and corporate
organisations. Ideally, this would mean not only undoing
the damage done, but also improving the quality of life
of the affected. The Tata Relief Committee (TRC) understood
this imperative well enough.
"Our aim is not merely to
restore to the people their homes, but also to create
model villages that can meet the needs and aspirations
of its inhabitants," says P. K. Mohan Kumar, general
manager, Taj Coromandel, Chennai, and the point person
for TRC's aid effort in Tamil Nadu. "I've been
with the Tatas for 30 years and the relief work I've
been involved in has given me the greatest amount of
pride."
There are three components to
TRC's infrastructure-creation efforts: houses for those
affected to live in; community centres that add to their
lives; and fishing equipment to sustain livelihoods.
Houses
TRC's plans of building 1,200 houses, measuring 325
sq feet each, in the worst-affected districts ran into
an early problem. Under the government's Coastal Regulation
Zone rules, there can be no construction within 500
metres of the sea. This was unacceptable to local communities
who have always stayed close to the shore. As a compromise,
construction was allowed between 200 and 500 metres
from the shore. The onus of identifying land for construction
is now on the government.
Meanwhile, Nandan, the architect
in charge of the construction project, has been researching
the lifestyle needs and aspirations of the villagers
and the traditional layouts of their houses. He intends
to incorporate these in the design of the model village
he has been contracted to create. Care is being taken
to ensure that the design is eco-friendly and able to
withstand natural disasters similar in scale to that
of the tsunami.
TRC's core-housing concept includes
a verandah where people can dry fish and repair boats
and nets, and a refuge has been provided on the first
floor in the event of another tsunami. The organisation
has integrated these and other design elements in a
mock-up house it has constructed on government-allotted
land at Nagapattinam, where the majority of the proposed
houses will finally be located. The design may be slightly
modified to suit the needs of the beneficiaries. TRC
plans to offer the same kind of house to all the affected
people, regardless of their position in the hierarchy
of rural life.
Community centres
The community centres being planned by TRC in the various
districts are being designed to house a library, marriage
hall, health centre, rural knowledge centre (RKC), rain
shelter and a few public toilets.
The RKCs, being set up in collaboration
with the MS Swaminathan Research Foundation (MSSRF),
will teach children basic computer skills. They will
also provide early warning in the case of natural calamities,
regularly updated information to the fishing and other
communities in the area, and details of government aid
programmes.
RKCs have thus far been established
in Kovalam district and in a temporary accommodation
in Akkarapettai, Nagapattinam. A large number of children
and adults have profited from the knowledge on offer
at these centres.
Fishing equipment
TRC identified those who had lost their boats and sundry
fishing equipment in the disaster. These people have
now been given fibreglass boats, incorporating the suggestions
and feedback of the beneficiaries. Experts in boat building
were roped in to manufacture these boats, which are
an improvement on the wooden boats the localities previously
owned.
In order to make the entire process
more sustainable, TRC decided to set up fishing boat
cooperatives instead of providing boats to individual
fishermen. Accordingly, each boat was given to groups
of five fishermen. The wives of the fishermen formed
self-help groups and these were made co-owners of the
boat.
TRC plans to distribute
a total of 215 boats in the five districts it is working
in. In Kovalam district the organisation has already
distributed 18 boats and a sample boat has been sent
to Nagapattinam to enable the fishermen there to offer
feedback on the kind of boats they are looking for.
Uploaded in
April 27, 2005
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