Project Overview

Project Location
India, Tamil Nadu, 80 selected coastal villages of Cuddalore and Nagapattinam districts

Project Funded By

• European Commission
• Aide et Action

• Avvai Village Welfare Society (Avvai)
• Bharathi Women Development Centre (Bharathi)
• Subiksha Rural Development Society (Subiksha)

Project Description

The project “participatory disaster proofing of tsunami affected target villages” aims at restoration of ecological balance and eco-friendly rehabilitation/development and disaster preparedness/mitigation of tsunami affected villages through community’s participation. The target groups include tsunami affected communities of 80 villages of Tamil Nadu, India, with special focus on the marginalized and excluded groups like Dalits, landless, small farmers, women, and children. Main activities envisaged to be undertaken through this project are – land/water reclamation, promotion of eco-friendly agriculture and other natural resource management activities, capacity building and organisation of communities for disaster preparedness and mitigation, provision of multi-purpose disaster shelters along with required infrastructure, coastal belt plantations, emergence of schools as eco-centres of villages and introduction of disaster preparedness/mitigation modules in schools and communities etc.

Overall objectives:

• Restoration of ecological balance through eco-friendly rehabilitation/ development of tsunami affected target villages: Mitigating the environmental imbalance caused by tsunami and giving due consideration to ecological issues in rehabilitation initiatives through community’s participation.
• Disaster preparedness/ mitigation of tsunami affected target villages: Setting up infrastructure and organisation and capacity building of communities for disaster preparedness.

• Reclamation of land and water sources: Desalination/desiltation/enrichment of land and water resources contaminated by tsunami
• Promotion of sustainable agricultural and allied practices: Neutralising adverse effect of chemicals, fertilisers and pesticides on agricultural land and promoting organic farming techniques. Promotion of appropriate/indigenous animal husbandry, livestock rearing techniques
• Capacity building of communities for disaster preparedness/management: Organising community in groups/organisations and delegation of responsibilities, training on disaster management. Evolving eco-friendly participatory village reconstruction plans
• Emergence of schools as eco centres for village: Development and introduction of modules on disaster preparedness/management in schools, development of school campus as model eco-centre and emergence of school as resource centre for disaster management
• Development of village infrastructure for disaster preparedness: Construction of multi-purpose disaster protection shelters and establishment of disaster warning systems.