The Hindu : National : Aftermath is more horrifying than tsunami

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Wednesday, Dec 27, 2006
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Aftermath is more horrifying than tsunami

J. Venkatesan

People left in the lurch in Andaman and Nicobar: humans rights panel

NEW DELHI: The relentless suffering of the people of the Andaman and Nicobar islands in the last two years is more horrifying than the tsunami that struck the islands on December 26, 2004, says a Human Rights Law Network report.

The report, based on an on-the-spot assessment, says it has been two years since the tsunami washed over the islands and destroyed the homes and livelihood of its residents. Although the Government made a lot of promises and spent a lot of taxpayers' money, very little actual relief and rehabilitation work has been done. Most islanders are still awaiting compensation.

Two years after, the homeless survivors of the tsunami look for straws of hope in the once pristine, now devastated islands. As people struggle to survive in hot, subhuman tin sheds, with no food security, electricity, education, basic health or livelihood, the terrible question, says the report, comes back: where have all the massive aid and big promises disappeared?

Describing the condition of houses, the report says the shabby temporary housing built in the immediate aftermath of the tsunami has not been replaced by permanent housing. Instead of ensuring that people are able to return to farming or fishing or trade, the islands' economy is being parcelled out to vested interests from the mainland. The environmental degradation is reaching crisis proportions.

The Government repeatedly promised the people that they would get permanent housing. But, apart from the model houses constructed for display, not a single house has been built for the 10,000-tsunami survivors. Instead of allowing the people to construct traditional houses made of wood, a prefabricated model of tubular steel is being imported from the mainland, obviously for the benefit of contractors and bureaucrats.

The people have no idea of how this structure is to be maintained or repaired. It is frightening to think of what these beautiful islands will look like 10 years from now with 10,000 prefabricated steel structures rusting and in disrepair.

It says the people asked for boats and nets so that they could resume fishing and get back to living as normal a life as possible.

Their jetties had to be repaired so that the boats could dock. Cold storages had to be made so that fishing could become a commercially viable proposition.

In many of the islands, the boats have yet to come, nets are yet to be distributed, jetties remain destroyed and cold storages do not exist. There is fish in the sea but not for the tribals of the islands.

The other source of traditional livelihood is coconut plantations, but these have been destroyed. The seedlings planted will take seven years to yield fruits.

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