 of us who have been spared the trauma, to commit ourselves to ensure that coastal communities – particular the fisherfolk among them who were the most affected – will have a safe and secure future. This disaster context should be turned into an opportunity -- not just to put in place emergency measures and early warning systems, but rather to work out a master rehabilitation plan for long term livelihood security for these communities.
Master Rehabilitation Plan
There is need to generate a larger consensus on this at the level of state and civil society. The plan should be the responsibility of the state, but it should be formulated and implemented in a participatory manner. The roles of civil society organizations and the affected community should be clearly spelt out. Such a master rehabilitation plan should consist of an agenda for action that covers the following realms.
Environmental protection of coastal land and sea
Protection of the coastal area ecosystem – composed of a sea and land interface – should receive top priority. Foresters should play a major role in this. They need to advise about location specific, appropriate green belt protection alternatives and also lobby for implementation of the Coastal Regulation Zone requirement of a 200 to 500 meter ‘no development' zone. Suggestions being made in certain influential quarters for building sea walls along the entire coastline need to be countered for their huge investment costs, scope for corruption, impact on natural coastal sand and water dynamics, adverse impact on coastal small-scale fishing and even on tourism potentials. The right approach is to have a menu of alternatives with the appropriate one chosen keeping the geo-physical and ecological characteristics of the coastal tract and its uses in mind.
Housing and related facilities
Good housing, appropriate sanitation and water facilities, lighting and spacious community facilities are a priority if the hitherto abysmal quality of life of fishing communities is to be radically improved. These facilities must be provided to them close to the ‘no development zone' with secure land rights. Creative architects need to provide several disaster-proof building plans where adequate space is provided around a house and only the basic ‘shell' is standardized. Finances should be given to each family to innovate around it in accordance to their needs. Sanitation structures need to factor in the highly porous nature of coastal land. This makes pit latrines a veritable disease bomb. Alternatives such as dry composting toilets coupled with hygiene education are vital. Portable water and rainwater harvesting, where appropriate, should be provided.
Gainful employment in fishing and related activities
Most fisherfolk wish to get back to their livelihoods. This is also one way to get over the trauma which many of them suffered. All the small beach landing crafts – particularly kattumarams -- can be replaced without much lead-time if appropriate wood from forestry schemes in states such as Kerala can be supplied. Nets and small-scale motors are also easily supplied by private companies. The major problem relates to replacing the trawlers which were destroyed. Supplying new trawlers is not the right option. There was so much excess capacity in trawlers in the pre-tsunami phase. This was contributing to economic, biological and ecosystem overfishing. If those who lost trawlers are insistent on getting them back, then the solution should be to provide them with a good second hand one which is easily and quickly available. Trawler crew can be given the option of going back to small-scale fishing or trained for alternate livelihoods.
Coastal aquaculture farms were damaged. However, given the adverse social, ecological and economic impacts which this industry has had on other coastal communities in the past, measures for its rehabilitation away from the coastal belt should be given serious thought. Adequate compensation should be provided to families of fish-farm workers who have lost their lives. Alternate rehabilitation optio