Taking on the challenge of rebuilding in the aftermath of the tsunamis

The Tsunami disaster presents a huge challenge to communities, civil society groups, charitable agencies and governments.

Through our South Asia office, ITDGPractical Action focuses its efforts on re-building the livelihoods of communities affected by the tsunami in Sri Lanka and in southern India.

ITDGPractical Action's work in disaster scenarios focuses on approaches that contribute to sustainable development of the vulnerable communities. This involves:

1. Studying past and current methods of preventing and responding to disasters, to identify the practices that are most successful in reducing risk of communities to disasters.
2. Showing the effectiveness of community based approaches to rebuilding livelihoods, infrastructure and services that use appropriate technologies and draw upon local expertise.
3. Working in the field with local organisations and government, providing training and helping to plan for disasters.
4. Sharing knowledge and understanding with others working in disasters and development at all levels (from individual communities to governments and international organisations) in order to raise their awareness and influence their practice.

In the aftermath of the tsunamis, ITDGPractical Action is drawing on this experience and concentrating on:

1. Influencing and strengthening reconstruction plans to consider disaster preparedness and cost effective options
2. Building capacity of government, NGOs and private sector on technical and taking disaster preparedness measures in reconstruction
3. Rebuilding infrastructure and livelihoods of affected communities
   • Fisheries
   • Agriculture
   • Employment and income generation

Weekly updates on our work in reconstruction
The way we work

1. Influencing and strengthening reconstruction plans

Planning is happening at different levels involving a large number of government and non government agencies. In Sri Lanka, ITDGPractical Action is working alongside these agencies to influence and strengthen the national and district level reconstruction plans of the government, as well as other plans being put together by non-government stakeholders.

ITDGPractical Action focuses on:

• Providing information on preparedness planning in post disaster reconstruction based on our previous experience in other countries.
• Appropriate and cost effective technology options

In southern India:

Currently we are gathering information through our partners in South India (DATA, CCD, South Indian Federation of Fishermen) to assess areas and ways of contribution to their reconstruction plans.

Information sharing is facilitated by:

1. A web-based portalon the Internet that provides links to online and downloadable information of a practical, technical nature which is held on the website itself or on the websites of other organisations.
2. An online facility to post technical enquiries related to reconstruction which will be answered by a pool of technical specialists (individuals or organisations).
3. Digitisation of technical information to fill key gaps in what is already available electronically.
4. Free public access to key material that has previously only been available through paid for services.
5. An online database (expertise and contact details) of technical specialists prepared to provide technical assistance.

2. Building capacity of reconstruction to support government, NGOs and private sector

ITDGPractical Action provides technical information, transfer technologies and expertise to develop the capacity of implementing agencies and communities in reconstruction of infrastructure. We concentrate on

Housing – Cost-effective and/or disaster resistant housing designs eg. flood, drought and earthquake; healthy kitchens; temporary shelter designs; sourcing building materials and equipment; training masons; engaging communities (including women) in re-building homes.

Household energy– Energy efficient stoves; biomass; common biogas units.

Water & Sanitation – Drinking water (eg. supply purification, distribution and management); waste disposal (toilets, septic tanks, solid waste management); vector control; hygiene awareness and education.

Transport – Gravel and tar roads using community labour or machinery; design options for small bridges and culverts; intermediate modes of transport (eg. bicycles, bicycle trailers for eg for transporting fishing gear, motorised IMTs for various uses in reconstruction and livelihood development); road network designs eg. cycle lanes and link roads.

Early warning systems – Awareness raising about disaster risk; local preparedness measures and strengthening community groups for community-managed early warning systems.

3. Rebuilding livelihoods & infrastructure

ITDGPractical Action is directly involved in rebuilding the lives of affected communities. We adopt an integrated/holistic approach to address the multiple needs of the affected communities by helping them to make a living and gain access to basic infrastructure and services like safe, clean water, transport, housing and electricity. We also collaborate with other agencies to ensure that additional needs (education, psychological, medical etc.) of the communities are addressed.

Fisheries and agriculture are the sectors most seriously hit by the disaster. In Sri Lanka and southern India, we focus on working with affected fishing communities and farmers. We also identify and promote employment and income generation options for affected communities through the reconstruction process eg. in construction-related work.

Fisheries sector: Sri Lanka's fishing industry contributed nearly 2.5 percent to the country's national income and there were 171,000 active fishermen engaged in fishing industry. The tsunami waves that hit Sri Lanka on the 26th December 2004 decimated coastal fishing communities. They were affected by loss or substantial damage to not only their shelter, but also boats and fishing gear.

One official said that the "fishery industry has been pushed back to its 1950 status". Estimates of the scale of destruction indicate that:

• Nearly 90 percent of fishing people were seriously affected having lost their boats, fishing nets and homes.
• Nearly 80% per cent of the 30,000 fishing vessels in the country were completely destroyed. The bulk of the boats destroyed or damaged are small non-motorized boats owned and operated by the poorest of the community. There are estimated 8000 small boats in Sri Lanka and all these boats had to be replaced. About 700 multi day boats need replacement.
• Fishing ports, harbours and anchorage spaces were devastated with extensive loss of essential infrastructure such as ice plants, cold rooms, workshops, slipways and marine structures.
• A large number of boat yards that produce boats for the fishing community were also very badly damaged.

Agriculture: Damage The FAOstates that farm animals were killed and crops were washed away or are dying due to saltwater floods (link). Similarly, many water reservoirs and wells cannot be used anymore because of saltwater and water pollution, and irrigation and drainage facilities are destroyed. The most immediate needs in the agricultural sector included seeds, fertilizers, tools, small livestock and assistance in rehabilitating small-scale infrastructure such as irrigation schemes, animal shelters, and market and storage structures.

Employment and income generation options for affected communities through the reconstruction process: In the aftermath of disasters, many agencies assist in reconstruction, yet a major part of rebuilding of homes and livelihoods after a disaster are done by communities themselves. Although often portrayed as 'helpless victims', communities have experience, skills and expertise. Reconstruction must fully engage communities. Income generation and employment opportunities for affected communities should in fact be expanded in the process of reconstruction.

ITDGPractical Action promoted this by providing additional training for affected communities to participate in reconstruction and by encouraging agencies (government, private and non-governmental) involved in reconstruction to employ them. ITDGPractical Action pays special attention to the participation of women, who have also lost jobs/livelihoods but who find it particularly difficult to get paid work in reconstruction.

The way we work

Helping to ensure different needs and vulnerable people are addressed in relief and reconstruction: Often in the urgency and scale of relief and reconstruction operations, special needs of particular groups can get overlooked. In planning and implementing relief and reconstruction activities, it is vital to consider different needs (eg. of women and men and of ethnic and religious groups). It is also essential to ensure the needs of highly vulnerable people such as very poor households/communities, female-headed households, the elderly, orphans and other children and people with disabilities are addressed.

ITDGPractical Action ensures that these concerns are tackled in our own work with affected communities and we also influence others involved in immediate relief and the reconstruction to incorporate these issues. ITDGPractical Action has developed guidelines to assist in this.

Reducing risk and vulnerability of communities to future disasters: "Vulnerability is a set of conditions that affect the ability of countries, communities and individuals to prevent, mitigate, prepare for or respond to a hazard. High levels of vulnerability increase the likelihood that a natural hazard will result in disaster. Poor people get locked into a cycle of vulnerability. Because they are poor, they become vulnerable. Because they are vulnerable they are at risk of disaster. Because they suffer great losses from a disaster, they become even poorer, more vulnerable and at even greater risk of another disaster" Gender Dimensions in Disaster Management: A Guide for South Asia

ITDGPractical Action aims to reduce poor people's risk to disaster and break this cycle of vulnerability by:

• Reducing conditions of vulnerability such as poor living conditions, insecure and risky sources of income, lack of knowledge and information, lack of access to services and infrastructure.
• Strengthening the capacities of communities and individuals to plan, prepare and respond to disasters.

Linking disasters to development: Through the reconstruction process, ITDGPractical Action aims to mainstream disaster mitigation into reconstruction plans and practices. Often disasters are dealt with 'separately' from development activities. ITDGPractical Action promotes and 'alternative perspective' on disaster mitigation and believes that disaster mitigation should be part of overall reconstruction and development planning.

Natural resource management: When large scale infrastructure and development activities are undertaken, such as in the aftermath of a disaster, environmental concerns are given little emphasis. Poor communities are usually most affected by environmental degradation, which can threaten their livelihoods, living conditions and health. Environmental mismanagement also increases communities' risks to disasters.

Many people, especially fishing and farming communities depend on natural resources for their livelihoods. Natural resource management is vital to ensure sustainable livelihoods and long term health and viability of communities. Natural resource management is also essential to minimise the incidence and impacts of natural and manmade hazards such as floods, landslides and drought.

ITDGPractical Action build on the extensive knowledge and experience of fishing and farming communities introduce technologies and approaches for natural resource management in the reconstruction process.

Further information

• Technical information for reconstruction
• The impact on South Asia
• ITDGPractical Action staff accounts and pictures
• Read more about ITDGPractical Action's approach to disaster mitigation
• Indian Ocean tsunamis devastate fisherfolk– UKabcreports on the impact on fishing communities, including Tsunamis and a Secure Future, an article by John Kurien of the Centre of Development Studies that provides an agenda for action that will give hope to fisherfolk in the region.
• The Guardian, 5 Jan 2005 – the crisis facing fishing communities in Tamil Nadu
• BBC News: Asia Quake Disaster – latest updates
• SciDev.net: Tsunami update – background information, news and links
• ReliefWeb – latest information from relief agencies
• Wikipedia – online encylopedia entry on the Indian Ocean earthquake

ITDGPractical Action is not responsible for the content of external websites

Practical Action has been awarded more than £720,000 from the UK Big Lottery Fund to carry out invaluable post tsunami work to help rebuild communities and their livelihoods. More ...