TRINET Weekly News August 6, 2007


TRINet's August 2007 Newsletter focuses on children and is available at
http://www.trinet.in/modules/mydownloads/visit.php?cid=35&lid=353



GoTN: Emergency Tsunami Reconstruction Project: Vulnerability Reduction
of Coastal Communities (VRCC)

Government of Tamil Nadu: Draft, July 2007:
http://www.tn.gov.in/tsunami/vrcc.htm



GENERAL
Grievance redressal through video-conferencing facility : Nagapattinam:
The Collector, Tenkasi S. Jawahar, on Thursday launched the system of
redressal of grievances of the people of remote coastal villages in the
district through video-conferencing. The scheme was inaugurated on an
experimental basis in Thirumullaivasal in Sirkazhi taluk and Vedaranyam
and as many as 50 small nearby villages were attached to these places.
The district administration and the NGO Coordination Resource Centre
(NCRC) here organised the video-conferencing system of redressal of
grievances of the people directly by the Collector from the district
heaquarters of Nagapattinam. The NGO, which is coordinating with a
number of non-governmental organizations engaged in the tsunami
rehabilitation works in the district had set up information centres in
14 major villages and each centre is equipped with a computer, wireless
set, internet and other communication facilities. The Collector on
Thursday heard the grievances of the people of several villages in and
around Thirumullaivasal and Vedaranyam through the video-conferencing
facility. He said that the facility would be extended to all information
centres of the NCRC in the district.

http://www.hindu.com/2007/08/03/stories/2007080357550300.htm



Russian quake triggers small tsunami in Japan : Tokyo- A strong
earthquake on Thursday hit the Russian island of Sakhalin, triggering
small tsunami waves on Japan's coast, officials said. The Japan
Meteorological Agency said the earthquake of 6.4 on the Richter scale
struck north of Japan early Thursday afternoon on Sakhalin. Officials on
Japan's northern island of Hokkaido said they had observed tsunami waves
of 20 centimetres (eight inches).

http://www.forbes.com/business/feeds/afx/2007/08/02/afx3979470.html

COASTAL MATTERS
Sleepless nights for fishermen : Chennai: All along the south Chennai
coast, sleep has become elusive after Friday's seawater ingress, as
rumours in the night and countless official visits during the day have
given families anxious moments. Along the Srinivasapuram coast late
Friday night, several fishermen scrambled to secure their boats and
whisk away family members to safety. The ingress had sown enough fear to
keep most of the fishermen away from the sea early Saturday morning. "We
spent the entire night taking turns to keep vigil outside our huts. It
is only now, after nearly three years, that we have managed to break
away from debts and another loss would be too hard to handle," said R.
Sarveswaran of Dommingkuppam. However, what has alarmed the fishermen
even more is the steady stream of officials who came calling on
Saturday. "Some of them, who claimed to be from the Revenue department,
urged us to move to either Ernavoor in north Chennai or Semmencherry,
where the tsunami survivors are housed. When we told them we had been
resisting such a move for several months now, they told us it was in our
best interests, as the sea would always be unpredictably rough and our
lives would be in danger if we continued to live in our huts," said
Kanthammal of Nochikkuppam.

http://www.hindu.com/2007/08/05/stories/2007080558990300.htm



Rough sea keeps fishermen at bay : Chennai: Seawater ingress in some
parts of Marina on Friday gave anxious moments to the visitors to the
beach. According to eyewitnesses, waves swept beyond the shore in the
afternoon, creating a scare. Fishermen said the sea had been rough for
nearly five days and it made them jobless and kept their boats and nets
idle. Fishermen along the Marina coast in Nochikuppam, Doomingkuppam,
Mullaimanagar and Srinivasapuram were affected. Regional Meteorological
Centre officials said no earthquake was recorded anywhere near the
Indian coastal waters. "No seismic activity has been noticed so far and
there is no need for panic," seismologist P.C.S. Rao said

http://www.hindu.com/2007/08/04/stories/2007080458820100.htm



Solar stills installed on Kurusadai island : Kurusadai Island (Gulf of
Mannar): To supply potable water to forest watchers and personnel of
enforcement agencies deployed on inaccessible islands off the
Ramanathapuram coast, the Gulf of Mannar Marine National Park has
installed 12 solar stills on the Kurusadai Island. This is for the first
time that the environment friendly solar stills have been established on
an island of the Rameswaram coast, which is considered a highly saline
zone. The stills, which convert brackish and saline water into potable
water, have been installed at a cost of Rs.2 lakh with the money meant
for the conservation and management of parks. C. Palaniappan, general
secretary, Planters Energy Network, who has executed the project, said
each still could produce 3.5 litres of pure water a day.

http://www.hindu.com/2007/08/02/stories/2007080253020500.htm



Unnatural Orissa sea waves, cause of concern: Environmentalist : Waves
crashing against the shore is nothing new for the inhabitants of two of
Orissa's seaside tourist resorts---Puri and Gopalpur. But what they have
been witnessing for the last few months has come as a shock. "The sea
has been behaving in an unnatural manner with high waves lashing against
the coast and damaging structures. It seems the sea is inching inside",
said Jagannath Bastia, an environmental activist, who is a resident of
the pilgrim town since long. While the sea waves have washed away nearly
500 metres of a newly-constructed road on the outskirts of Puri, several
walls of hotels and a lighthouse at Gopalpur, down south in Ganjam
district, have collapsed under the pounding of the sea. A study
conducted recently by the National Institute of Oceanography (NIO), Goa,
had said that 23 per cent of India's shoreline was getting eroded with
four states---Maharashtra, Orissa, Karnataka and Kerala being the worst
affected.

http://www.zeenews.com/znnew/articles.asp?aid=385694&ssid=26&ssname=Eco%20News&s\
id=ENV&sname



Land sharks pose threat to Bengal's virgin seacoast : Ensconced in West
Bengal's East Midnapore district, Mandarmani was once an unexplored
paradise - virgin and untouched. Not any more. Fishing communities
inhabit the small coastal area of Mandarmani, nearly 190 km from
Kolkata. It has now become more of a hunting ground for coastal land
sharks. Drawn by the steady flow of tourists, several hotels have come
up, disturbing the ecology of the inter-tidal zone. 'None of the hotel
owners have got environmental clearance from the West Bengal Pollution
Control Board. It's a gross violation of Coastal Regulation Zone (CRZ)
norms,' M.L. Meena, principal secretary of the state environment
department, told IANS. Under the Environment Protection Act 1986, the
notification states that it is illegal to put up any construction in the
inter-tidal zone of a coastline. Meena said the government had ordered
immediate demolition of concrete structures to protect the natural
environment at Mandarmani, a potential tourism zone. 'Since the matter
is now in court, we can't take any action. After we receive the court
order, we will take necessary action against the violators,' he said.

http://www.indiaenews.com/travel/20070731/63297.htm



'Check destructive fishing to save livelihoods' : Nayarambalam
(Ernakulam dist.): Against the grim reality of overfishing in Kerala's
590-km-long coastline, fishery scientists, trade union leaders and
Fisheries Department officials on Sunday called for strong steps for
checking destructive fishing practices that have wiped out several
popular fish varieties and slashed productivity. At a 'fishery
development seminar' that tried to address the key problems haunting the
State's marine fishing sector, they warned that if the current situation
was let to stay, the sector was doomed. Since the Government's
regulation infrastructure was too weak to handle the situation,
self-regulation by the fish workers was the best. The workers should
take the initiative as they stood to lose their source of livelihood,
the speakers suggested. The seminar was organised by the Kerala
Traditional Fish Workers Union in view of the upcoming recommendations
of the Aquarian Reforms Committee.

http://www.hindu.com/2007/07/30/stories/2007073058350300.htm



Vessels with hazardous chemicals will not enter Sethu canal : Madurai,
July 30 : Responding to the apprehensions of conservationists, Chairman
of the Environmental Monitoring Committee for the ongoing Sethu Samudram
Project today made it clear that oil tankers and vessels with hazardous
chemicals will be prohibited from entering the channel, connecting the
Gulf of Mannar with the Bay of Bengal. Talking to newspersons after the
meeting of a reconstituted monitoring committee, Chairman Prof S
Ramachandran, who is also the Vice-Chancellor of Madras University, said
the prohibition was intended to protect the rich eco-system and marine
wealth of the area. As such, ships carrying materials which posed a
danger to the environment would not be allowed passage through this
channel, he maintained.

http://www.newkerala.com/july.php?action=fullnews&id=50405

WATER AND SANITATION
Nagai village gets ecosan toilet : Nagapattinam: Ecosan toilet is
considered as the best model throughout the world to suit all terrains
as also high-water table and sandy coastal areas, said P. Amudha,
Executive Director of Tamil Nadu Women's Development Corporation, on
Saturday. Addressing a function after inaugurating the first compost
chamber of the ecosan toilet in the tsunami-affected Kameshwaram village
in the district, she said that even though Tamil Nadu was a trendsetter
and model to other States in many fields, the people of Tamil Nadu were
reluctant to construct toilets or use them they had built. The excuse
often given was that they had no money and that there was no water for
maintenance of the toilets, she said. Mrs. Amudha pointed out that the
ecosan toilet was considered the best model in the world to suit all
terrains and said that the 'Ecosan,' popularised by SCOPE (Society for
Community Organisation and Peoples' Education), a pioneering NGO in the
field of sanitation was a big blessing to wipe out a social stigma of
Indian society, where until recently a particular community was engaged
in removing human excreta manually. Mrs. Amudha said that ecosan should
be looked as a holistic solution for sustainable environment and healthy
living and not as a method of disposing off human excreta.

http://www.hindu.com/2007/07/30/stories/2007073059160600.htm



Shanthi…Century Not Out (A film) : A film on a striking example of
community awareness efforts by Shanti, which led to the construction of
200 Ecosan toilets in a tsunami affected village in South India. In one
rare case of tsunami-affected Kameshwaram village, in Nagapattinam
district, the experiment with toilets has been immensely successful due
to one woman's initiative. In spite of being a tsunami victim, Shanti
was not bogged down by her circumstances. Instead she chose to start a
revolution of sorts. She constructed the first ever Ecosan toilet in her
house. Thanks to her efforts, now there are about 200 Ecosan toilets in
the village, the highest in the entire Nagapattinam district. The film
showcases how the construction of Ecosan toilets has changed the lives
of many villagers and how it has also strengthened the process of
Shanti's empowerment. Write to cedban@... for copies of the
film and posters on sanitation.

http://www.rdc.net.in/servlet/WMSearch?urlid=ced



Jack Sim: Thinking and talking about toilets : Meet Jack Sim. For the
past 10 years, he has been talking about a subject that no one really
wants to hear about -- toilets. Whenever he raises the topic, people
start to laugh. "There's a lot of humor in toilets, but we don't talk
about it," said the 50-year-old founder of the Restroom Association of
Singapore and the World Toilet Organization. Every November around World
Toilet Day, representatives of toilet associations all over the world
meet to talk about toilet-related issues such as maintenance,
sanitation, and water technology. World Toilet Day falls on November 19,
the date when Sim established the World Toilet Organization. In Aceh,
his organization is working closely with the Aceh and Nias
Rehabilitation and Reconstruction Agency in training engineers and
architects on ecological sanitation. When he was in Aceh, Sim learned a
lesson on how to correctly build toilets for the tsunami victims. After
constructing toilets for the Acehnese refugees, he saw that the toilets
were spray-painted with red crosses. Knowing that the toilets were
vandalized by an Indonesian soldier, representatives of Sim's
organization held a meeting with members of the Indonesian military. In
the meeting, it was pointed out that the male and female entrance points
to the toilets were together. "After the meeting, we became friends with
the person who was responsible for the spray painting of our toilets
because he told us something that we didn't know," said Sim. As a result
of the meeting, Sim's organization diverted the male and female entrance
points separately and "the person who did the spray painting was happy."

http://www.thejakartapost.com/detailfeatures.asp?fileid=20070801.W02&irec=1

HOUSING AND INFRASTRUCTURE
Rs. 79 crore allotted for building bridges : Nagapattinam: The State
Government has sanctioned Rs.79 crore for construction of 14 bridges and
improvement and widening of roads including State highways for a total
stretch of 470 km in the district under natural calamities and disaster
rehabilitation scheme, said Tenkasi S. Jawahar, Collector, on Saturday.
Talking to media persons after inspecting the desilting of Pillaru and
other irrigation channels at Kovilpathu and irrigation tanks in several
other villages in Thalainayar block being carried out by engaging
workers under the Tamil Nadu Employment Guarantee (TNREG) scheme, he
said that the 14 bridges would be built across Nallar, Adappar,
Mulliyar, Kaduvaiyar, Vellayar and Uppanar rivers at a cost of Rs.40 crore.

http://www.hindu.com/2007/08/05/stories/2007080558220300.htm

WOMEN
Woman gets award for serving tsunami-hit in Nagapattianam :
Nagapattinam: The Union Minister for Panchayati Raj, Mani Shankar Aiyar,
on Friday, presented the 'Anita Sen Memorial Award for Women Leadership'
to N. Bhuvaneswari in recognition of her services to the
tsunami-affected people at a function in Poompuhar. The award was
instituted by Udyogini Trust, New Delhi. The Minister also inaugurated
the community seed bank of the Poompuhar Cauvery Delta Farmers
Association, a farmers' organisation promoted by the Covenant Centre for
Development, and discussed with the members about the services extended
by it.

http://www.hindu.com/2007/07/30/stories/2007073056170300.htm

CHILDREN
Art draws out anguish of traumatised youngsters : Wherever children are
traumatised, giving them a pen and paper and asking them to draw what
they feel is one of the best forms of therapy. It has been used in every
kind of war zone - from abusive families to international conflicts.
Often it is the only kind. Young children who have witnessed the horror
of losing their parents or seen their home destroyed may be too shocked
to speak. Unable to express their feelings or find words to describe
them, drawing offers a way of pinning down the thoughts racing through
their heads. Then they can cope. After the 2004 tsunami, children in Sri
Lanka and Indonesia were encouraged to draw what had happened. Their
images showed them caught in the flood, arms raised, transfixed as the
wave bore down. Some clung to trees as televisions, fridges and bodies
floated by in what marked the end of their world. Yet the intense
colours and graphic imagery sent a message - we have survived.

http://news.independent.co.uk/health/article2826190.ece

ANDAMANS NEWS
Orientation training for village captains : Kamorta, July 29. A one-day
orientation programme of village captains on disaster preparedness was
organized by Nehru Yuva Kendra Sangathan at Tribal Guest House, Kamorta
on July 27, 2007. Altogether 14 participants from Nancowry and Kamorta
islands took part in the programme. Addressing the gathering, the chief
guest said the project will be very useful in the area and urged the
captains to help the children and younger generation, who are undergoing
various training programmes. The captain should also utilize the skills
and knowledge of those trained children when the community requires
their help.

http://164.100.148.5/telegram/toppage.aspx



Greater involvement of PRIs in conservation of isles natural resources
stressed : Rangat, July 29. The need for greater involvement of
Panchayati Raj Institutions in the conservation of nature & natural
resources in these islands for the posterity was discussed at a meeting
organized by the Middle Andaman Division of Forests & Environment
Department in the new Panchayat Community Hall here today. Altogether 48
PRI members including Zilla Parishad & Panchayat Samity members of the
area attended the meeting and projected their problem & needs in the
meeting. The common problems like availability of sand, supply of jungle
posts & ballies and sawn timber etc were raised by the PRI members on
the occasion.

http://164.100.148.5/telegram/toppage.aspx



Fin. package for govt. employees urged : Port Blair, July 31. The NGGOA,
A&N Islands has demanded to evolve a financial package for govt
employees as has been done in the case of businessmen who have
reportedly been exempted from repaying loans availed from financial
institutions. In a letter addressed to the Lt. Governor, a copy of which
was released to the press, its General Secretary, Shri D Ayyappan said
that all the govt. employees who have availed loan for house building,
vehicles and other purposes need to be exempted from repaying of loans
as they too were affected by tsunami disaster and have lost many of
their family members and property in the calamity.

http://164.100.148.5/telegram/toppage.aspx



FSI workshop calls for optimum exploitation of tuna resources from isles
water : Port Blair, Aug 4. A regional workshop on Marine Fishery
Resources of Andaman and Nicobar islands was organized yesterday at
Govt. Sr. Secondary School, Rangachang, Burmanallah. The workshop was
inaugurated by Shri R Paramasivam, Gram Pradhan, Beodnabad Gram
Panchayat. Addressing the gathering, the chief guest appreciated the
efforts of Fishery Survey of India and its scientific team for choosing
their village on priority to disseminate the survey results and create
an awareness on tuna fishing among the fishers of the island. He
requested his Panchayat Members and fisher-folks of his village to take
advantage of the programme. The function was presided over by Dr. V.
Krishnamurthy, Director of Fisheries. In his address, he mentioned that
Tuna resources has a tremendous potential in this island and the
Administration is gearing up to exploit this resources by permitting the
fishing industry to fish in the island waters. The village fishers, who
are interested, can also get training in the FSI survey vessel on tuna
long line operation.

http://164.100.148.5/telegram/toppage.aspx

INDONESIA
Acehnese hopeful BRR can finish task : The Aceh people remain hopeful
the Aceh-Nias Rehabilitation and Reconstruction Agency (BRR) could
finish the construction of infrastructures in Aceh by 2008. "The
construction of houses, bridges, highways, schools, markets and the
installation of electricity and clean water could hopefully be finished
by next year," speaker of the Aceh provincial legislative council Sayed
Fuad Zakaria said. Infrastructure was important because a number of
victims in Aceh could not move to the completed houses yet because the
new homes were not yet equipped with proper utilities, Sayed said. The
reconstruction agency however is not set to complete its reconstruction
projects until April 2009.

http://www.reliefweb.int/rw/RWB.NSF/db900SID/SJHG-75M7H7?OpenDocument&rc=3&emid=\
TS-2004-000147-LKA



Ministry, W. Sumatra agree on reconstruction : Jakarta: Forestry
Minister Malam Sambat Kaban signed an agreement Tuesday with West
Sumatra's governor, Gamawan Fauzi, to provide wood for rehabilitation
and reconstruction in the province, which was destroyed by an earthquake
last March. "We need a large (amount of wood) for the rehabilitation and
reconstruction process, so we asked the minister to guarantee supplies,"
Gamawan said. He said the province needed around 262,000 cubic meters of
wood to rebuild around 2,000 houses and 650 public facility buildings
damaged in the disaster.

http://www.thejakartapost.com/yesterdaydetail.asp?fileid=20070801.H07

SRI LANKA
Reconstruction of tsunami damaged bridges and causeways in Sri Lanka
completed : July 30, Colombo: Reconstruction of tsunami damaged bridges
and causeways in Sri Lanka's South and the East has been completed under
the Japanese Assistance. Government of Japan provided the financial
assistance to complete the project that cost Rs. 1.27 billion as part of
the total US $ 80 million provided under the Japanese Non-Project Grant
Aid to rehabilitate and reconstruct areas affected by the December 2004
Tsunami. Reconstruction of four bridges and one culvert in the South,
and three causeways in the East were completed. In South, Akurala
Bridge, Seeinigama Bridge, Magalle Bridge, Ahangama Bridge and Weligama
Culvert on the A2 highway in the Galle District were reconstructed at a
cost of Rs. 544 million. In East Komari Causeway in the Ampara District,
Periya Kallar Causeway and Koddaia Kallar Casueway in the Batticaloa
District were repaired at a cost of Rs. 725 million.

http://www.colombopage.com/archive_07/July30152740CH.html



Habitat marks serving 2,000th tsunami-affected family In Sri Lanka :
Colombo, 1st August 2007: Thirty months after the Indian Ocean tsunami
crashed on the shores of Sri Lanka, Habitat for Humanity's rebuilding
program on the island is still going strong. Celebrations were recently
held for a major milestone – the 2,000th home. The celebration was held
in Samagiwatte village, Dangedera town, Galle in the southeast. In
accordance with local traditions, a pot of milk was boiled for
prosperity and an oil lamp was lit to launch a new chapter in the life
of Mohamed Bishul Hafi and his family.

http://www.reliefweb.int/rw/RWB.NSF/db900SID/TBRL-75NMKU?OpenDocument



Last BMS Grant for Sri Lanka's Tsunami Recovery : Nearly three years
after the 2004 Boxing Day tsunami brought death and destruction to the
Sri Lankan coast, BMS World Mission has given out the final relief grant
to its partners helping in the country's recovery process. Just as the
first BMS grant for tsunami relief was given to the Farms Lanka charity
on 29 December 2004, the final grant of £11,000 will go to the same
charity and drains the last of BMS' £1.6m tsunami fund. The grant will
provide 30 families with timber, bricks and metal sheeting for the
construction of new homes, meaning they can finally leave the refugee camps.

http://www.christiantoday.com/article/last.bms.grant.for.sri.lankas.tsunami.reco\
very/11928.htm



Japan provides two multi-day fishing boats for tsunami hit fishermen:
Colombo: The Japanese Government handed over two multi-day fishing bouts
worth Rs. 64 million to rebuild and rehabilitate the fishing industry in
tsunami affected areas. These 50ft multi-day fishing boats, built to be
off-shore for a longer period and have a larger capacity to store the
harvest, will result in increasing the fish harvest in the area. The
Japanese Government is of the hope that these two multi-day boats will
help rebuild the livelihoods of fishermen and fishing communities
affected by the tsunami.

http://www.dailynews.lk/2007/08/04/news26.asp



Out of the debris arose healthy villages : What started off as a
post-tsunami project to prevent communicable diseases in Thotagamuwa,
has now turned into a many-pronged success story. Water has been the
cause of many sleepless nights, visits to hospital and absence from
school for the children because of paachanaya (diarrhoeal diseases).
Although the tsunami left in its wake unimaginable tragedy and despair,
it has also brought about winds of change to the lives of harried and
humble wives and mothers in the area. No boiling of water is required
using firewood or kerosene……..but water-borne disease prevention is only
a matter of adding a capful of liquid from a small bottle, says
53-year-old M.G. Dayawathie, offering glasses of water not only to The
Sunday Times team in her home in the same area but also to her toddler
grandson. Adds Kumari, chlovathurata wisha beeja maranawa, explaining
that the germs die for chlovathura. It was after the tsunami that a tiny
but very successful project took root in the area firstly to prevent
communicable diseases such as diarrhoea and also mosquito-borne diseases
such as dengue and has now spread, three years later to providing
self-employment, counselling for addictions of different kinds and even
rabies control. How did the Thotagamuwa Area Tsunami Relief Health
Project come about?

http://www.sundaytimes.lk/070805/Plus/pls26.html



THAILAND
Tsunami drill and tourist confidence : The Minister of Tourism and
Sports Dr Suvit Yodmani commented on the recent tsunami evacuation
drills in the 6 Andaman coastal provinces, saying that it will certainly
help boost tourist confidence in the region. He stressed the
significance of the exercise stating that it should be carried out once
or twice per year and that it should be made known to the world that
Thailand is serious about the exercise and precaution measures. He
however said one of Phang Nga's evacuation places is as far as two
kilometers away, so the government would consider supporting a 40
million baht budget to build a nearer but high evacuation shelter by
next year.

Andaman News TV11 Phuket:
http://www.thaisnews.com/news_detail.php?newsid=214411

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