|
The South Indian state of Tamil Nadu was one of the worst-hit by the tsunami. Local people from the coastal village of Colachel in the Kanyakumari district gathered for refuge in the high school, but facilities rapidly became inadequate.
Father Stanley, the man in charge of relief operations at the camp, described the situation. “The first two days were horrible. All the school toilets and water tanks, which had been sufficient for our students, were suddenly dwarfed by the sheer number of people taking refuge here. Ten thousand people belonging to some 1500 families are taking shelter here.”
Oxfam’s water and sanitation experts arrived at the village two days after the tsunami to assess the situation. “I was worried about diseases because everyone was turning a blind eye to simple cleanliness and sanitation,” said Father Stanley. “Then Oxfam met with me and we spoke at length about what was immediately required. Within three days they had installed ten water tanks and 20 toilets. They have done wonderful work.”
Devanand Londhe, Oxfam’s water and sanitation expert and his team constructed ten 5,000-litre tanks fitted with taps to keep the water free from dirt. The team also cleaned up the school’s two existing tanks so that they could be used to provide water for washing.
Oxfam has also addressed the water and sanitation needs of two other camps in the area – the Muslim Jamat camp and the Sugandham Thirumana Mandapam camp, catering for 1,300 and 3,000 people respectively. Oxfam installed water tanks and toilets and provided dustbins across the camps. “It took only four days for us to complete all the activities in all three camps,” said Londhe.
|
