Homeless blues for tsunami survivors

G Radha, a 44-year-old fisherwoman, sits outside her battered home in Nagapattinam, hoping that in the coming months her husband will earn enough to tide over the losses they incurred during the tsunami. “We live in temporary shelters and for the last two months, with the help of some organisations, we have been trying to rebuild this house,” says Radha. “It requires a lot of work and the government has given up on us. I hope in the next couple of months we earn enough to move in permanently. The government has promised us a permanent shelter. But only god knows when it will be ready.” It may require something close to divine intervention to tide over the post-tsunami habitat problems. Of the 100,000-odd families displaced by the tsunami in south India, over 92% still live in temporary shelters, makeshift tents and public buildings, in rented houses or with relatives. The recent rains have worsened the situation, virtually turning hundreds of tsunami-affected families into a floating population. Immediately after the catastrophe, the Tamil Nadu government allocated a sum of Rs 40 crore towards building temporary accommodation at the rate of Rs 8,000 per family, for 50,000 families. The government expected provision of another 50,000 temporary shelters by ‘good’ NGOs. The current figures on temporary shelters give details on the construction of only 14,343 shelters by the government, and 18,035 by NGOs, adding up to 32,378 of the initial 100,000 as defined by the government. These shelters were built by NGOs and contractors with deadlines on their minds rather than the people who were going to inhabit them. The living conditions inside the shelters barely meet any human habitation standards. The material used for construction is questionable -- tar-coated light-roof sheets, or corrugated metal sheets with plastic tarpaulin or plastic covers on them to make them waterproof. The sites chosen are unsuitable; no attention has been paid to health, hygiene, sanitation, privacy or accessibility to basic needs. “Most large NGOs do not seem to have considered or questioned government prescriptions/regulations for housing and other relief and rehabilitation work,” says a report of the Housing and Land Rights Network (South Asia Regional Programme). Click here for full story SOURCE: Infochange India News and Features

User comments

There are no comments

 Printable version