Tsunami survivors left to suffer on Andaman and Nicobar islands

Today, despite the Indian government’s much-touted “rescue and restoration effort,” 10,000 survivors from the 38 inhabited islands are still living in temporary shelters. Rashid Yusuf of the Nicobarese Tribal Association told the BBC that tin-and-metal “intermediate shelters” had been erected all over the islands as supposed protection from the heavy monsoon rains.

Victims have complained to the media that the tin lodgings are like blast furnaces in the hot and sultry climate, showing the authorities’ ignorance of local needs and lack of any careful planning. Because the shelters have no floors, they become muddy during the frequent rains, risking the residents’ health and hygiene.

“If the government had given us the tools and the timber, we would have constructed our own traditional eco-friendly houses that are comfortable in the hot and humid local conditions,” Yusuf said, adding that the tin sheds could not survive heavy rain or cyclones. He insisted that the administration give up its plans to use the pre-fabricated structures as permanent houses.

Initially, the government refused foreign aid for the islands and prohibited access by international agencies to assist the desperate victims. Its primary concern was to preserve the secrecy surrounding the Indian military facilities in the territory.

Since then, many instances have been reported of misplaced relief priorities from the Indian government and various NGOs. Much of the more than one billion rupees ($US21.8 million) allocated for relief and rehabilitation in the archipelago has been wasted on useless supplies.

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http://www.wsws.org/articles/2006/jan2006/anda-j04.shtml