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The largesse passed them by

Ramya Kannan

Rehabilitation programmes for the tsunami-affected have created a new class of have-nots.

— Photo: S.R. Raghunathan

A colony of modern houses for tsunami-affected people in Cuddalore.

IN THE two years since the tsunami struck coastal Tamil Nadu, the emphasis of rehabilitation has been on "building back better." This United Nations mantra has guided the State Government and humanitarian assistance groups. But it has also created an underclass.

The new have-nots are the people who were not affected by the tsunami. They looked on as around them prosperity grew. Crores of rupees have been poured in over two years to set villages and towns along the coastback on their feet again. Bitumen-topped roads surfaced in towns that had no roads earlier, pucca houses replaced the thatched shacks by the beach, and good schools, street lights, sanitation facilities, came up. The "tsunami-affected" soon left their neighbours way behind.

Just one tsunami-hit coastal village, Devanampattinam in Cuddalore district, spent Rs.70.88 lakh on acquiring land for building permanent shelters, Rs.96.89 lakh on creating sewage systems, Rs.29.15 lakh on water supply systems, Rs.10.37 lakh on street lights, and Rs.1.30 crore on concrete and cement roads.

It's not about grudging the tsunami-affected what they have got. It's about what can be done to reduce the inequities created by the rehabilitation effort. How can the build-back exercise be planned to avoid inequities?

In Nagapattinam, thatched shelters line the approach roads to the housing colonies for the tsunami affected (the Tata Relief Committee's project even has its own sewage treatment plant). These woebegone structures belong to those who escaped the tsunami's wrath. Initially, these people believed they were fortunate. Not any more. A woman whose husband died at sea before the tsunami struck is only partly joking when she says: "Had he died during the tsunami, our family would have at least got the benefits!"

The second-year appraisal of tsunami rebuilding efforts by the United Nations, the World Bank, and the ADB says: "Despite good intentions, inequities surfaced during the tsunami recovery. Affected groups are, in most cases, already marginalised and vulnerable and include the Dalit communities, tribal communities, differently-abled people, senior citizens and women, in general."

The disparities are far-reaching. Schools in the tsunami-hit areas are better equipped. The INTEL-sponsored school in Arcot Thurai in Vedaranyam, Nagapattinam, is one of them. Special childcare centres such as the World Vision-sponsored centre in St. Xavier's Middle School, Cuddalore, have come up. The fishermen affected by the tsunami have better boats, better nets, even global positioning systems for navigation. On the other hand, inland fishermen who operate at a much lower scale but were also affected have had very little support.

The good news, however, is that help is finally on its way. Awareness about the inequities, coupled with the determination to set the score right, augur well for overall development.

The administration in Cuddalore has already started addressing the problem. Houses have been built not only for affected fishermen but also for the Irula tribals who were living in impoverished conditions. Though the Government was mandated to build just over 2,300 permanent shelters in the district (with NGO support), the total number of houses built has gone beyond 4000, says District Collector Gagandeep Singh Bedi. Highway roads are also being spruced up, as are hospitals that serve people from all over the district. The ADB assistance for livelihood is being channelled to help more people, especially the differently-abled. Mr. Bedi says while the "focus has been on tsunami-hit areas, the contribution has been generous for neighbouring areas as well."

In Kanyakumari, where 47 km of the coast were affected, houses have been built even for those not touched by the tsunami. Extending cover to even those living just a few metres beyond the coast means benefiting non-fishing communities, says District Collector Sunil Paliwal. The assistance for roads, health and livelihood programmes has benefited entire village panchayats of which coastal hamlets are a part.

Nagapattinam, which bore the brunt of the tsunami, too is attempting to address the disparities, says Collector Tenkasi S. Jawahar. The Government has issued orders to provide housing for all those living within one km of the coast. The process of identifying the vulnerable houses is on. More importantly, an attempt is being made to redefine `vulnerable' to be more inclusive.

In all the districts of Tamil Nadu, revamp of hospitals has resulted in better facilities for all. In some districts, crisis management has included all villages that are disaster-prone — to floods and cyclones. These villages have been equipped or will be equipped with wireless systems, sirens and public address systems that will not only enable speedy evacuation but also serve as a tool to link the entire community.

Government measures notwithstanding, the tsunami has highlighted that long-term rehabilitation needs to be inclusive. For this an integrated approach that involves the community at every level, rather than a sectoral approach, is essential.

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