New shelters were held up by red tape, then the rain came

In Nagapattinam, 34 of the 58 rehabilitation camps had houses with tin roofs that developed leaks or thatch roofs that provided no respite from the rain. The other camps were located in low-lying areas that allowed rainwater to accumulate.

In Vailankanni, site of the revered Shrine Basilica church, rain water flowed into the shelters near the New Bus Stand last week, forcing 666 families to seek refuge at nearby schools and community halls. ‘‘The thatched roofs have long outlived their utility. Whenever it rains, it is especially difficult at night,’’ says Hariharan, who is making do at a shelter put up by NGOs Thanjavur Multi-purpose Social Service Society (TMSSS), Caritas and Plan Care.

C V Shankar, Officer on Special Duty (OSD), Tsunami Relief and Rehabilitation, Nagapattinam, says—rather facetiously one might think—‘‘This is not the best time for anyone to live in shelters with leaky roofs. I don’t know how these people will manage because they have to stay there till permanent houses are constructed for them.’’ He adds that there is growing resentment against the local administration among the people, forgetting perhaps that it would be unnatural not to be angry in such circumstances. ‘‘Children are the worst affected. They fall sick very easily,’’ sighs Kanamma, who sells flowes at the Basilica. She points to the narrow lanes and potholes all filled with water, swarms of mosquitos hovering nearby. ‘‘We cannot live here like this but we have nowhere to go,’’ she says. It wasn’t easy for the 500 families at Sulerikattukuppam in Kanchipuram district either. After their camp was inundated, they had to spend a couple of nights on the Chennai-Pondicherry ECR Highway. ‘‘We had to wade through knee-deep water. Around 25 families lost their hutments too,’’ said Shaktikannan, a student living there said.

But discomfort is just one of the worries. As C Prabhu, coordinator of TMSSS, points out, ‘‘Sanitation in the camps is a major concern.’’ As is the constant displacement. ‘‘The cycle of providing relief material like food and other utility items has started again,’’ said Prabhu. Father P Xavier, Rector of the Shrine Basilica Church, added, ‘‘It is a continous exodus for them….moving from one shelter to another.’’ Oxfam International coordinator Marie Banu says the shelters were meant to house the homeless only for three months as the government planned to begin reconstruction immediately after the tsunami. ‘‘But procurement of land took time,’’ she explains. There is now a natural sense of resignation among the evacuees. ‘‘We don’t know how long it will take for the houses to be reconstructed,’’ said Kamaraj, the village panchayat presidents. The unprecedented rains have nipped in the bud most of the reconstruction work which had just begun, especially in Nagapattinam district. According to Nagapattinam Collector Dr T Radhakrishnan, the administration had planned to hand over 1,000 houses before December 26. ‘‘But the rains have hampered work. The condition of the shelters have also deteriorated due to the rains although we have upgraded them from time to time,’’ he says. But there’s a glimmer of hope on the horizon, something for the people to clutch at. Cuddalore Collector Gagandeep Singh Bedi says, ‘‘We have been able to finish reconstruction work in six villages and the houses are being handed over.’’ It is perhaps a beginning that has come not a year too soon.