Tsunami Recovery: Building a New Future in India

The rebuilding process in India will see a major change for many fisher folk- they will officially own the land on which their new homes are being constructed. And in a first, women’s rights will be protected with new houses registered in joint names – the husband and the wife. As Vinita Ranade, from the Bank’s India office explains, communities have been closely involved in the rebuilding process- from selecting sites to the layout of new homes – even to helping produce the bricks and roofing tiles.

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December 12, 2005—Sathya looks out of her palm-thatched shelter, which stands away from the placid waters of the Bay of Bengal in India’s Tamil Nadu state.

Her husband, a fisherman, is out at sea. His motorcycle is parked proprietarily under the thatch. Along the neat rows of temporary shelters, it’s evident the morning rush is on with children getting ready for school, women cooking and old men mending tangles of fishing nets.

“My house was completely destroyed by the waves,” says Sathya, pointing to a heap of rubble near the shore. “And, though my family was safe, the waters took everything I had,” she adds, recalling her lost color television and new gas stove, some of her most prized possessions.

But, not far away, the rebuilding process appears in full swing. Already, a bright new water tank has been set up. And, amid the crunch of cement mixers and shouts of masons, the new settlement, which will soon house Sathya and her people, is taking shape.    

	Sathya standing in location of where her old house used to be

Some 55,000 houses were destroyed by the tsunami in Tamil Nadu and Pondicherry alone. Of these, some 40,000 houses are being built by non government organizations and the remaining 15,000 will be built with World Bank assistance. All the new houses are being built outside the coastal regulation zone - an area deemed a safe distance from the sea.

By the middle of next year, most of the people in this area who lost their homes will have moved into modern new housing.

As the new settlements emerge, a part of the World Bank’s US$ 528.5 million assistance for tsunami reconstruction in India will go towards the provision of electricity, street- lighting, water, paved roads, and sanitation and sewerage systems with effluent-treatment plants in the larger communities.

Money will also be channeled to new community infrastructure including schools, dispensaries, community halls, cyclone shelters, ‘anganwadis’ or day care centers, and rain-water harvesting facilities in this drought-prone area.  

But as Shyamal Sarkar, the World Bank’s Task Leader for the tsunami reconstruction program in India, says perhaps the greatest long-term benefit to people is that for the first time in their lives they will officially own the land on which their houses are being built.

“The tsunami has made many of the survivors the proud owners of property for the first time in their lives – often the first generation in their carefree community to do so,” Sarkar says.  

All Modern Conveniences

In India, housing suffered the greatest damage, after the fisheries sector. The poor, who lived in flimsier structures – some little more than thatched huts – were hard hit. 

“For those who didn’t lose family members, though,” says C. Kamaraj, the government official deputed for relief and rehabilitation in Tamil Nadu, “the tsunami has been a blessing in disguise.” His comments refer to the houses now under construction. They are being equipped with modern conveniences. Running water, attached toilets and electricity will improve living standards significantly for fisher folk, who have been used to a rough and ready existence.

Already, groups of volunteers – mostly young local girls - help teach fishing families in temporary shelters about the virtues of sanitation and the use of modern toilets.

	Sand dune that saved lives during the tsunami.

A Safe Location  

The rebuilding process has closely involved the fiercely independent fishing communities. They have had their say throughout the process, from the selection of sites to the design of houses.

The choice of sites for rebuilding has been a balancing act – between the fisher folk’s need to be near the ocean - they tell from the rhythm of the tides when the time is right to set out to sea – against the need to ensure their safety. Some communities have chosen to live near protected backwaters, which offer the distance from the ocean while allowing them to haul in their boats at the end of the day. 

The lay of the land has also been taken into account. Father Ratchegar of the organization, Caritas, has been involved in the construction of a ‘model village’ in Cuddalore district. “This site was chosen because there is a natural mound in the north east that will protect the settlement from the sea,” he says.

His words echo an important finding after the disaster: villages at higher elevations or those behind sand dunes were often protected from the waves despite their proximity to the ocean.

Blending the Old with the New

To suit local needs and customs, housing plans were modified at the request of the communities.  Prayer rooms have been added and the flat roofs made accessible by stairs to dry fish easily.   Panchayats – village councils- have signed off on the plans before the start of construction. 

All the new houses are being built to withstand cyclones – a frequent occurrence in these parts – and will also be earthquake resistant. They will also be insured against natural calamities for ten years. “All our houses are being built with pre-cast windows that have been designed to be earthquake proof by the Pondicherry Engineering College nearby,”
Ratchegar says.

	New houses being built in Kanchipuram district

“We are using eco- friendly materials like fly-ash bricks,” he says. “And, each house will have at least two trees, which families can name after their children to ensure the saplings are cared for.”

Women’s Rights

In a new move, women’s rights are to be protected by registering new houses, jointly in the names of both husband and wife. There is also an added protection – a means to prevent the wife from transferring her share to her husband.

And as part of the effort to involve the local people in rebuilding, women’s self help groups are producing bricks, roofing tiles, and cement concrete hollow blocks to modern specifications.

Those involved in the reconstruction process say a challenging aspect has been identifying the people eligible to receive new houses. It’s a task which has involved long and detailed consultations with local communities to ensure those affected are adequately compensated and that grievances don’t fester. In the interests of full transparency, the lists of beneficiaries have been displayed prominently on village walls.

“Once the reconstruction is over,” says Kamaraj, “Except for the lives lost, most of those affected will be able to replace everything – and replace everything for the better.”