Trapped in a Vicious Cycle

The houses provided to tsunami survivors in Nagapattinam have turned into death traps

- ANTONY FERNANDO

The same houses that once rekindled in them the will to survive soon turned death traps. When the sea pulled the carpet from under their feet in 2004, the Tamil Nadu government and various NGOs came forward to provide the survivors of the tsunami with a roof over their heads. Yet, the same roofs have sprung leaks, and walls developed cracks. Twenty years later, thousands of such houses are in a terrible state of disrepair.

Erstwhile Nagapattinam district bore the brunt of nature's wrath that Sunday morning. At least 6,065 people died, hundreds went missing, thousands were injured and lakhs displaced. As part of rehabilitation, nearly 9,000 houses were raised in the present Nagapattinam district and 7,000 in Mayiladuthurai district today, which was carved out of the former. A recent survey found that as many as 6,000 houses in Nagapattinam and at least 4,000 in Mayiladuthurai are in disrepair.