Idinthakarai Tsunami Habitat-(in) humanitarian Rehabilitation!!

The story about the illegal land developments taking place in the sterile area of the Kalpakam nuclear plant by realtors (New Indian Express, August1, 2009) was indeed shocking. It may also sound a bit unbelievable on the face of it. But then, the truth is that such callousness is not restricted to Kalpakkam.

Here is another story of this kind. The difference, however, is that it is about a plant that is coming up and the violators are not just the greedy realtors. It involves the Government and the NGOs. The common thread is about violation of national and international norms of reactor guidelines and building up a human settlement within the sterile Zone and all this being done with the support of the district administration. It is incredible but true.

Idinthakarai, a fishing village, situated in Radapuram block of Tirunelveli district (located on the coastal road connecting Tiruchendur and Kanyakumari) was swept away by the killer waves that hit the coast on December 24, 2004. The tsunami hit the village badly destroying most houses and killing two.

Humanitarian assistance poured in. And also a plan for rehabilitation of the victims in a safe area, away from the shore. A national NGO, otherwise known for their development and humanitarian work, pitched in to rehabilitate 2000 people. It offered to construct 450 permanent houses. The NGO tied up for financial grant, from the Canadian International Development Agency (CIDA), Presbyterian United (from USA) and Mennonite (from USA) with a view to complete the project.

The arrangement was that while the construction cost of the dwelling units were to be borne by the NGO (along with its international partners), the land for the rehabilitation project was to come from the Government.

The construction cost for each house – measuring up to 435 square feet on a piece of land extending to three cents, was estimated at Rs. 2.05 lakh. Approximately Rs.9.22 crore was spent over the construction. The district administration allocated 23.50 acres for this project. All that was fine! Except that the land happened to be incredibly close – just 2 KM - to the Koodiankulam Nuclear Reactor plant.

In other words, a cluster of 450 houses, inhabited by poor fisher-folk whose homes were washed away by the Tsunami in December 2004 being rehabilitated within a 2 kilometre distance from what would be India's largest nuclear-power centre when it goes critical.

This is clearly in violation of the norms set by the Department of Atomic Energy (DAE) and the Atomic Energy Regulatory Board. The specific guidelines, insofar as inhabitation around a nuclear plant is that: A 1.6-km radius zone around a nuclear power station must have no habitation; the next 5-km radius area must be a “sterile zone” where “the density of population should be small so that rehabilitation will be easier.” And a third ring, outside the 5 km radius and upto 16-km from the plant where “the population should not exceed 10,000”.

The district administration could not have glossed over these. The Koodankulam plant, after all, was coming up and construction activities had been taking place when the Tsunami struck in December 2004. And yet, months after the tragedy, the administration allocated this land for constructing houses to the affected, violating the DAE norms. And even sunk a lot of money laying roads to the area and constructing electricity and drainage facilities, water taps and a community hall to this hamlet; an overhead tank with capacity to hold 60,000 litres too was built spending Rs. 8.80 lakh. Ironically a multi-purpose disaster shelter also has been constructed here along with the houses

The inauguration of this rehabilitation site took place in 22 November 2006 with the representatives of the funding agencies, the district administration and the NGO, praising each other for the amazing pace at which the construction activities were completed. 430 out of 450 houses are allotted to the “beneficiaries”. The media, incidentally, reported the event but for some reasons did not point to the fact that when the giant reactor, which stood in the vicinity of the new housing colony, when commissioned will warrant displacement of all these families once again.

For some strange reasons, the development agencies that conducted this rehabilitation programme did not find anything remiss in this site. Ironically the funding agencies spend a handsome amount on conducting campaigns and training programmes as well as building infrastructural facilities for disaster preparedness.

The tragic aspect is that these people are bound to be displaced from where they are now located as and when the Koodankulam plant goes critical. It will be difficult, may inhuman, to argue then that they shall not be displaced. For it will be exposing them to radiation and other issues. A little thought, when these houses were constructed, would have saved them of another displacement. But the authorities who failed to do this will, in any case, not be affected.

Now, who will take the responsibility for this catastrophe; the NGO, the District administration, the funding agencies or the poor people who did not have any choice on this?