CHENNAI: : The Government is all for adopting international disaster management standards for the ongoing tsunami rehabilitation work in the State, C.V. Sankar, Officer on Special Duty for Relief and Rehabilitation, has said.

"The Chennai district administration has already adopted the international `Sphere' standards at the semi-permanent shelters being constructed near Tiruvotriyur," he said at a meeting organised by the Chennai NGO Coordination Council on Friday.

Collaboration with NGOs

The focus would be on providing water and sanitation standards, which would be communicated to the other districts too.

The government machinery would collaborate with non-governmental organisations in creating awareness of the standards spelt out in the Sphere Humanitarian Charter and Minimum Standards in Disaster Response.

Chennai Collector S. Chandramohan said drinking water and sanitation facilities had been set up at Ernavur near Tiruvotriyur.

"The same model will be replicated at Kannagi Nagar, for those displaced from the south Chennai coastal belt."

Sensitising civil servants

CNCC coordinator S.D. Rajendran said that apart from starting the Tamil Nadu chapter of Sphere, various NGOs would come together to sensitise senior civil servants about Sphere standards in areas such as water, sanitation, food, shelter as well as gender, children and environment.

At the meeting to formulate the Tamil Nadu chapter of Sphere, nearly 43 representatives from Indian and international NGOs such as Oxfam, ActionAid, Caritas India, Bhoomika Trust, World Vision, Plan International, Tamil Nadu Tsunami Resource Centre, Care India, CordAid, Red Cross India, Karunalaya, Centre for Sustainable Human Development, Udavi, Social Watch, Mariyalaya, People for Action Movement and Social Watch participated.

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