Recommendations
for Interim Shelter Policy from the NGO Coordination Centre
by NGO Coordination Cell, Nagapattinam, Tamil Nadu
This is meant primarily for the Donor Agencies, NGOs, Community Groups, and Business Groups Wishing to Assist in the Interim Rehabilitation Phase in Tamilnadu and is based on feedback from village communities in the south, north and central Nagappatinam, and discussions with local NGOs, and Donor partners
It is going to be presented formally at the NGO/Govt. Coordination Meeting. In the mean time, it is extremely important that NGOs and Donors who are not in Nagapattinam also endorse the principles herein and communicate to their staff the need to follow some of the recommendations, which are not only based on lessons learnt from recent disasters, but has been tailored to meet the needs of the TN disaster-affected communities.
Bhoomika Trust is sending this message on behalf of the NGO Coordination Group in Nagapattinam and we will take any responses and pass them onto the group as received. Please send your comments to (mailto and with subject line :Interim Shelter Policy) We also request that you forward these recommendations to your field personnel and any relevant NGO personnel who are not included in this list.
Recommendations
• It is recommended that the Government, NGOs and Donors encourage,
(through their interim policy, and implementation methodologies), the communities
to put up their 'keeth' houses with casurina poles and thatch. We recommend
this for the following reasons:
Groups discussions with SHG groups and a rapid assessment of community viewpoints has suggested that if given a choice, people would prefer to be supported for their traditional housing. (It was also observed that when any NGO or donor asks the people whether they would like tents etc, they tend to agree because they would like to get whatever they can, quickly, and this is not necessarily a reflection of what they would ideally prefer). However, given a choice and adequate support they would prefer the thatch structure (Keeth).
The thatch structure can be constructed very speedily and it takes less than 2 days for a unit to come up. It can sustain for the entire interim period which could be upto 5-8 months before their permanent structures come up. On an average the thatch structures can cost upto 8-10,000. It is therefore quick, cost effective and more sustaining in an interim period, than other options such as tents, tarpaulins, tinsheets, etc.
Most important, from experiences of other
disasters, it has been observed that communities, who actively engage themselves
in reconstructing their interim structures, psychologically rehabilitate faster.
It is extremely important that communities are encouraged to rebuild their homes
and lives immediately, and that they are not placed in a situation where they
are watching while organizations put up tents, prefabricated houses, etc - material
and technologies which they themselves are not familiar with.
• It is suggested that the Government support the affected families with
an ex-gratia amount of Rs. 5,000 for their interim shelters. And it is recommended
that this amount be distributed through the SHGs, if this is administratively
possible. In cases where a temporary relocation will have to be undertaken,
the Government should allocate the land where the temporary housing can come
up. Clear procedural guidelines for the communities and organizations as to
how to access this land would be necessary.
• While providing temporary land access, it would be important to state
the time period for which that land is being allocated. To ensure that the temporary
settlement does not become a permanent settlement, a notification to each of
the affected families receiving the ex-gratia payment could be made, which specifies
that they will be liable to receive compensation for the permanent housing,
but will be able to do so when they move out of the temporary settlement, and
move to the land allocated for the permanent settlement in the stipulated period.
• The implementing NGOs and their donor partners will take the responsibility
in different villages, to invest upto Rs. 5000, in the thatch material, sanitation
etc, and immediately provide support for the interim housing (thatch, poles,
etc). Organizations have expressed their commitment to ensure that the communities
utilize their ex-gratia payment (toward the hiring of labour,) for the construction
of their houses. For instance, in Nagappatinam District, alone, different organizations
will be allocated villages where they take the above responsibilities. And there
is a clear assurance that every village would be covered between the different
agencies. The NGO Coordination Centre, with the District Collector will ensure
that the matching of villages with organizations will take place. A similar
system could be followed in the other districts also.
• Thus through a combination of the Government's ex-gratia amount, and
the organizations providing material, the communities will be supported through
a public-private partnership to rebuild their houses within the next two-to
three weeks.
While this is recommended as the basic approach and methodology framework, it
is possible that some organizations or donors would want to do something independent
of the policy. But the above approach will ensure that broadly, the interim
rehabilitation phase, an extremely significant phase, remains owner-driven,
discourages dependency approaches, and generates a more sustainable pattern
for the overall rehabilitation.