The Hindu : Opinion / News Analysis : Post-tsunami: waiting for things to happen

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Friday, Apr 29, 2005

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Opinion - News Analysis

Post-tsunami: waiting for things to happen

V. Jayanth

Tsunami rehabilitation and reconstruction waits for land, funds, and norms.

MUCH TO MEND: The scene at a temporary shelter for tsunami-affected people in Tamil Nadu's Nagapattinam district after the recent rain in early April. - Photo: R. Shivaji Rao

IT IS already mid-summer and the heat is intense in many parts of the country.Tamil Nadu and most of Andhra Pradesh will have to await the northeast monsoon, which may not come before October-November. This means the thousands of families, who lost their dwelling units in the December 26, 2004 tsunami, may have to rough it out for a year; perhaps, more. Tamil Nadu and the Andaman and Nicobar islands were the worst affected by the tsunami and the permanent rehabilitation and reconstruction programme has not begun in any serious way in these two regions. A policy framework may be ready; some lands have been identified, a model for housing has been evolved, but that is all.

Even in the restoration of livelihood, a lot more needs to be done before a majority of the fishermen who lost their nets, equipment, and more important, their fishing vessels, can return to the seas. Thousands of fisherfolk still depend on local labour or the Government's special assistance programme to provide their families at least one square meal a day. Also, how long can the State Governments continue assistance — free rations and a cash assistance. The earlier a permanent programme is firmed up the better. The feedback from the fishing villages does not seem very reassuring. Fishermen who have not ventured into the sea for want of a vessel may lose their self-confidence. And, at the moment, they may not be equipped or trained to do anything else. Aside from the economic angle, the problem has social dimensions.

Permanent housing

As for the housing problem, a majority of the tsunami-affected families have been accommodated in temporary dwelling units, not very far from the coast. But the unseasonal heavy rain in coastal Tamil Nadu in early April made life miserable for those sheltered in these units. The authorities concerned had taken some steps to make these temporary shelters "more liveable." In summer, the heat makes it difficult to stay indoors. And, rain makes it worse; the roof leaks and there is no flooring as such. So, the fisherfolk were moved to emergency camps and sent back after the rain stopped. But they have to be prepared for the monsoon season ahead.

Permanent housing means major investment. The fisherfolk cannot afford to build houses or units on their own — especially after losing all their possessions. The Government of India and multilateral agencies such as the World Bank, the Asian Development Bank, and the United Nations are finalising a major tsunami rehabilitation and reconstruction programme for the affected States. The European Union and a few other organisations have also pledged some funds. The Centre has to firm up the package and complete the formalities so that the funds can start flowing in. A peculiar problem for the Andaman islands is that some of the affected families have come to Tamil Nadu and Andhra Pradesh, seeking relief and compensation. Temporary shelters have just taken shape in the ravaged islands.

On the restoration of livelihood, the problem appears to be one of formatting and procedures. The Centre has already announced a package of subsidy and loans for fishermen — repairs and replacement. The subsidy differs for catamarans, mechanised boats and fibreglass boats. After Tamil Nadu's complaint that the subsidy should not be linked to loans, this has been done, but the problems on the ground and in the implementation of the programme remain. There appears to be a crisis in the villages, but the solution lies more with the fishermen than the Government.

As far as accounting procedures — be it for subsidy or loan — are concerned, distribution of such assistance necessitates "asset creation." About Rs. 115 crores have been distributed among the affected fishermen in Tamil Nadu for repairs and replacement of mechanised boats, catamarans, fibreglass boats as well as nets and fishing equipment. But this is barely a third of what has been sanctioned. Enquiries show that subsidies or loans are released to a joint account of the beneficiary and an official of the Fisheries Department. On the production of bills or orders placed for vessels or equipment, the amount is released. "There has to be an asset creation for any amount released from the joint account. That is the procedure. Those who are able to satisfy this condition have availed of the subsidy or loan, as the case may be," explains a senior official.

A spokesman of the fishermen's federation says: "The fishermen do not want to be bogged down by procedures and documents. Most of them are used to private, informal loan arrangements and have not gone to a bank before. Some of them have grouped together and want to buy a mechanised boat as a team.

"The administration has to formulate new schemes to meet their needs instead insisting on their meeting the existing rules and regulations. It is an extra-ordinary problem and calls for an out-of-the-ordinary solution." The question is whether the Governments — Centre and the States — can come up with such a framework before it is too late.

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