cuddalore online information

Three years on, tsunami memories linger - Hindustan Times
GC Shekhar, Hindustan Times
Cuddalore, December 26, 2007

Vadivelu and Kullammal cannot stop showing their new home to friends. They can’t believe that this airy two-bedroom dwelling with a verandah would be theirs for the rest of their lives.

Vadivelu, a 71-year-old farmer from Uppalandi village near Cuddalore, lost his little plot in the December 26 tsunami three years ago. The seawater made his land uncultivable.

But assistance came in the form of Help Age India for the farming couple who stayed in a shanty till then. “We never even dreamt of such a place even while we lived in our leaking shanty back in our village. With no children to take care of us, this is God’s gift,” said Vadivelu.

Vadivelu and Kullammal were two lucky ones chosen by Help Age India as part of its post-tsunami rehabilitation plan for 7,800 elders. The couple was chosen by a village elders’ committee for the Thamaraikulam Elders Village, a model residential home for elders.

Just 5 km from Cuddalore on the East Coast Road, the village will be the home to 100 senior citizens, all chosen by their respective village committees.

Built in clusters, each unit would house four elders with a common kitchen and dining hall as well as an activity-cum-training room so the elders are never short of company.

Small details about their needs have been taken care of. Like the toilet bowl with a railing on either side as well as the non-skid flooring. At their service would be a visiting doctor plus an ambulance and 10 full-time nursing assistants.

“We have even provided a walking track around the lotus pond — from which the village gets its name Thamaraikulam — and a two-acre vegetable and herbal patch where they can continue their farming on a minor scale. The whole idea is to let them age actively and with dignity,” said Rajeswhar Devarakonda, project head of Help Age India.

News channel NDTV’s viewers contributed Rs 1.25 crore for the project’s cost of Rs 2.48 crore.

It will become fully operational in two months. “At present, we have ten elders living here to check out the system and will gradually bring all 100 beneficiaries,” Rajeswar said.

One of them is Venugopal, who has no teeth, but loved the food served in the 10 days he stayed there. His right eye recovering from a cataract surgery, the 64-year-old said: “I could not enjoy the chicken though.”

Three years on, tsunami memories linger - Hindustan Times
GC Shekhar, Hindustan Times
Cuddalore, December 26, 2007

Vadivelu and Kullammal cannot stop showing their new home to friends. They can’t believe that this airy two-bedroom dwelling with a verandah would be theirs for the rest of their lives.

Vadivelu, a 71-year-old farmer from Uppalandi village near Cuddalore, lost his little plot in the December 26 tsunami three years ago. The seawater made his land uncultivable.

But assistance came in the form of Help Age India for the farming couple who stayed in a shanty till then. “We never even dreamt of such a place even while we lived in our leaking shanty back in our village. With no children to take care of us, this is God’s gift,” said Vadivelu.

Vadivelu and Kullammal were two lucky ones chosen by Help Age India as part of its post-tsunami rehabilitation plan for 7,800 elders. The couple was chosen by a village elders’ committee for the Thamaraikulam Elders Village, a model residential home for elders.

Just 5 km from Cuddalore on the East Coast Road, the village will be the home to 100 senior citizens, all chosen by their respective village committees.

Built in clusters, each unit would house four elders with a common kitchen and dining hall as well as an activity-cum-training room so the elders are never short of company.

Small details about their needs have been taken care of. Like the toilet bowl with a railing on either side as well as the non-skid flooring. At their service would be a visiting doctor plus an ambulance and 10 full-time nursing assistants.

“We have even provided a walking track around the lotus pond — from which the village gets its name Thamaraikulam — and a two-acre vegetable and herbal patch where they can continue their farming on a minor scale. The whole idea is to let them age actively and with dignity,” said Rajeswhar Devarakonda, project head of Help Age India.

News channel NDTV’s viewers contributed Rs 1.25 crore for the project’s cost of Rs 2.48 crore.

It will become fully operational in two months. “At present, we have ten elders living here to check out the system and will gradually bring all 100 beneficiaries,” Rajeswar said.

One of them is Venugopal, who has no teeth, but loved the food served in the 10 days he stayed there. His right eye recovering from a cataract surgery, the 64-year-old said: “I could not enjoy the chicken though.”

by Ramya Kannan

Recent rain compounds the issue, causing flooding in many areas

CHENNAI: In a State where the progress of post-tsunami rehabilitation has largely been consistent over the last three years, inappropriately-addressed sanitation issues have begun to raise a stink.

The inappropriateness of sanitation projects implemented in the tsunami-hit districts of the State, especially in rural, coastal Tamil Nadu, has never been as clear as it has been in the last six months, when large-scale resettlement to permanent shelters took place.

With more and more people shifting to permanent buildings constructed by various NGOs based on specifications provided by the Government, sanitation or the lack of it, is threatening to grow into a big issue. The recent rain has further compounded the issue, causing flooding in many areas.
Unusable toilets

Cause for concern: Sewage overflowing at Tsunami Nagar. (Right) An Ecosan toilet at Shanmuga Nagar, Parangaipettai in Cuddalore. —

Tamizhmani, who lives in Tsunami Nagar, Cuddalore, had stopped worrying about the unusable toilet in her home until the monsoon arrived. With flood waters inundating the vast area near the settlement used by the locals for defecation, Tamizhmani has realised that it is essential for her to repair the toilet at any cost. “I could not use it right from the beginning. It clogs up with sand. Also, during the rains, the water too is contaminated.” Cuddalore collector Rajendra Ratnoo says fisherfolk are unused to toilets and this is part of the problem.

The local Tsunami Resource Centre has been commissioned to study acceptability and usage of toilets in the permanent shelters, he adds.

In Nagapattinam too, where people in some areas continue to live in temporary shelters while others have moved to the permanent houses, basic amenities are still in question.
Complaints galore

Residents charge that access to protected drinking water and good sanitation has been ignored. As pit latrines, septic tanks and soak pits had not being constructed properly, the areas were inundated with sewage after the rains.
Contaminated water

Those in Colachel and Melamanakudi in Kanyakumari complain of contaminated drinking water.

Antony Sami of BLESS, a Cuddalore-based NGO involved in building houses, sanitation issues arise primarily because of the natural soil conditions and non-involvement of the community in building plans. In most areas, toilets have been constructed with technologies unsuited to the sandy soil and high water table of the coastal areas.

Alternative technologies, such as the Ecosan dry toilets are also being tried out, as in Shanmuga Nagar, Cuddalore. C.V. Shankar, Officer on Special Duty, Tsunami Rehabilitation programme, says cognisance has been taken of the issue.

In the coming year, attention will be paid to constructing decentralised water treatment plants in the urban areas.

In rural areas, he said, local solutions would be utilised to improve the situation.

(With inputs from K.Subramanian, Nagapattinam and P.Suresh Kumar, Kanyakumari)

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Tsunami hit survivors lead an uncertain life three years on - Daily India

Three years after the deadly tsunami ravaged the southeast Indian coast, claiming thousands of lives, survivors of the tragedy in Chennai are still trying to forget the scars left behind by the killer waves full story>>

Candle light marches mark third anniversary of tsunami in TN - The Hindu

…In Chennai, Nagapattinam and Cuddalore along with ten other districts bearing the brunt of the waves, families of the victims offered prayers at the graves with the traditional `Padayal’ (offering delicacies to the dead).
…
Fiftyone coastal villages in Cuddalore district, which were hit by the tsunami killing 648 people, wore a new look, with houses and amenities like roads and drinking water facilities built by various NGOs. District Collector Rajendra Ratnoo told PTI that normal life had returned to the district. A total of 1903 houses have been constructed and handed over to the victims, he said full story>>

Wave of memories hits the coast - News Today

…Poignant secnes were witnessed in the worst hit Kanniyakumari, Nagapattinam and Cuddalore districts, where people recalled with tears in their eyes, how they lost their dear ones to tsunami. In Cuddalore, where 648 had been consumed by the madness of the sea, fishermen at Sonangkuppam —— one of the worst-affected —— were all at sea with the surging waves of emotions even as they stayed off from the ocean.
…
Representatives of Chambers of Commerce and various political parties took silent processions and pledged their support to the victims. In Cuddalore, silent processions were taken out in Thazhanguda, Devanampattinam and Sonakuppam fishing hamlets full story>>

They still dream bright - The New Indian Express

Three years since the giant waves struck the coastlines in the form of tsunami, many a life has been transformed.

One among them is M Vijay (10) of Pillu Medu, from an islet near Killai, who hopes to become an officer in the defence wing. He had lost most of his family to the waves full story>>

Two years past since tsunami waves struck. International aid poured in to all the tsunami affected parts of the world. It is Cuddalore which leads in tsunami reconstruction and rehabilitation. New houses, schools, Self Help Groups and community-disaster alert systems are put in place. National disaster relief fund from various states are used thoughtfully in several other projects like building bridges in affected areas.

Two weeks back former US President Bill Clinton, who visited Cuddalore as a UN special envoy for tsunami relief, greatly applauded the active steps taken by our district administrator Mr. Gagadeep Singh Bedi. India’s over all response to the tsunami disaster work was good. But what has happened in Cuddalore in the past two years was excellent. It is because of our dynamic collector Mr. Gagandeep Singh Bedi, Cuddalore has seen such an immense reconstruction in the post disaster period. According to Clinton, providing housing was “the hardest thing to do”. He added while in other places only 30% of the houses were built, “In Cuddalore, even those not affected by the tsunami but identified as “vulnerable” had been given houses.” He went on to say “Florida can learn from Cuddalore” and that he want Cuddalore model of disaster management to be implemented throughout the world.

“Florida can learn from Cuddalore” simply means, administrators of Florida must learn from the administrator of Cuddalore. His work of coordinating and directing various governmental and non-grovernmental organisations in post tsunami period was phenomenal. If Cuddalore has got so much, it is because of this “good man here”.

When rest of the tsunami affected world is still in their early stages of tsunami reconstruction, Cuddalore had almost come to the final stages of the work, Tsunami Retention Wall for the vulnerable communities along the coast line . Work for the construction of tsunami retention wall has begun in full swing. Fishing villages in Cuddalore district will soon get rid of the fear of tsunami.

Tsunami has brought about a lot of change is life of fishing community in Cuddalore district. Better public addressing and warning systems are put in all coastal hamlets in Cuddalore, and a new Global Positioning System (GPS) is used to guide the fisheries off the coast explains the article Now, technology ensures smooth sailing for them .

Federer makes tsunami visit to Cuddalore - Rediff News

Roger Federer visits Cuddalore - Sahara Samay

Federer visits Cuddalore, promises to return - Sify Sports

Federer’s visit fans waves of hope - IndiaTimes Sports

Embajador de la UNICEF - SIPSE

Federer besucht UNICEF-Projekte in Indien - AZ Online

Federer meets tsunami-affected kids - IBN Live

Federer’s goodwill to India - ITN News

Federer besucht Tsunami-Opfer in Indien - Schweizer Fernsehen

Federer plays cricket - Sky News

FEDERER EMBAJADOR DE UNICEF - La Opinion (scroll down the page)

Federer’s goodwill to India - Channel4

Federer plays cricket to tsunami survivors’ delight - Scotsman & Gulf Times

Roger Federer visite des survivants du tsunami - LCN

Federer plays cricket with Indian tsunami survivors - The Peninsula

Federer Praises Resilient Tsunami Victims in UNICEF Visit - ATP Charity

On his first official field trip as a UNICEF Goodwill Ambassador, ATP World number one Roger Federer today met with tsunami-affected children in Tamil Nadu in southern India.

The December 2004 tsunami took the lives of over 200,000 people, with India accounting for 18,000 dead or missing. One-third of the victims were children. Tamil Nadu was the hardest hit state, with 8,000 dead, 351 severely-damaged child care centers and 186 destroyed schools. Three days before the second anniversary of the tsunami, Federer visited UNICEF’s
recovery and rehabilitation programmes in Cuddalore, one of the worst affected districts of Tamil Nadu.

“It’s amazing to see how young people are using the rebuilding process as an opportunity to improve their lives and strengthen their community,” said Federer. “The way these children are bouncing back from even the toughest tragedy is a testament to their resiliency.”

In Cuddalore, Federer met with children who have chairs and tables at school for the first time. Across the tsunami-hit districts of Tamil Nadu UNICEF has provided 330 schools with furniture and learning materials, which benefit around 140,000 children and 3,500 teachers.The improvements in their school include programmes to learn through participation rather
than by rote and the use of puppet theatre to help them cope with post-tsunami trauma. Federer also met with UNICEF- trained early child care workers at one of the 351 restored government centres where pre-school children are able to get essential health care, nutrition supplements and informal early education. .

Along with District Collector Mr. Gagandeep Singh Bedi, Federer visited the Cuddalore Orphanage. UNICEF has helped to establish a tracking system to monitor around 2,000 children in Tamil Nadu who lost one or both parents in the tsunami, including those in the orphanage. As part of the tsunami psycho social support programme more than 114,000 children have been reached through counseling, art, puppetry and children’s theatre.

“Many of the programmes we set up in the tsunami hit communities, such as education programmes and child protection interventions, will now serve as a model for the rest of the state to follow,” said Thomas George, UNICEF State Representative, Tamil Nadu. “Our focus has been to improve equity to services and to truly build back better for the children of Tamil Nadu.”

Federer’s day ended by meeting with teenagers who are learning about HIV through a life-skills programme that is giving them the practical information they need to make responsible decisions and spread awareness about the disease.

“It’s great to see the young people so full of life and spirit. Despite what happened to their community, they have really managed to turn things around,” said Federer.

Goodwill Ambassador Roger Federer sees tsunami recovery progress in Tamil Nadu - UNICEF

CUDDALORE, India, 22 December 2006 – Just days before the second anniversary of the Indian Ocean tsunami, tennis great and UNICEF Goodwill Ambassador Roger Federer visited Tamil Nadu, India, witnessing firsthand the progress made to help tsunami-affected communities ‘build back better’.

UNICEF Goodwill Ambassador Roger Federer meets children and staff at the Government Home for Tsunami-Affected Children in the city of Cuddalore, Tamil Nadu, India.

The tsunami killed some 8,000 people in Tamil Nadu alone, destroyed nearly 200 schools and damaged more than 350 child care centres. On his first field trip since becoming a Goodwill Ambassador, Mr. Federer toured UNICEF-supported recovery and rehabilitation programmes in Cuddalore, a district devastated by the tsunami.

He met with many schoolchildren who, for the first time, have chairs and tables in their classrooms. As part of the recovery effort, new furniture and learning materials have been provided to 330 schools, benefiting some 40,000 children and 3,500 teachers.

‘Bouncing back’

Apart from the improved leaning environment, Mr. Federer also saw new ‘child-friendly’ learning and teaching methods being introduced in the schools.

Another post-tsunami initiative here – psycho-social support for traumatized children – has reached more than 114,000 children through counselling, art, puppetry and children’s theatre.

At Thazanguda Government School in Tamil Nadu, UNICEF Goodwill Ambassador Roger Federer signs autographs.

“It’s amazing to see how young people are using the rebuilding process as an opportunity to improve their lives and strengthen their community,” said Mr. Federer. “The way these children are bouncing back from even the toughest tragedy is a testament to their resiliency.”

Ms. Federer went on to visit an early childhood centre, one of the 351 such facilities rehabilitated with UNICEF’s support. The centre is equipped to provide young children with education, nutritious meals and basic health care.

Along with District Collector Gagandeep Singh Bedi, Mr. Federer also met with the children in the Cuddalore Orphanage. UNICEF has helped establish a tracking system to monitor and protect some 2,000 children, including those in the orphanage, who lost one or both of their parents in the tsunami.

Education and child protection

“Our focus has been to improve equity to services and to truly build back better for the children of Tamil Nadu,” said UNICEF’s State Representative in Tamil Nadu, Thomas George. “Many of the programmes we set up in the tsunami-hit communities, such as education programmes and child protection interventions, will now serve as a model for the rest of the state to follow.”

Mr. Federer’s first day in Tamil Nadu ended with him meeting young people at a life skills workshop, which offered practical information to help them make responsible decisions – such as better protecting themselves from HIV/AIDS and educating others about the disease.

“It’s great to see the young people so full of life and spirit,” remarked Mr. Federer. “Despite what happened to their community, they have really managed to turn things around.”

by Vani Doraisamy

CUDDALORE: Tennis ace Roger Federer discovered a whole new meaning for `Love All’ in Cuddalore on Friday, when he learnt “one of life’s most important lessons” from tsunami orphans.

“These children have taught me how lucky I am, making the incredible amount of money I do at the prime of my career. It was mutual love between us as I inspired them and they inspired me back to raise more funds and create awareness about tsunami rehabilitation.

“It is heartening to learn that things have improved tremendously in Cuddalore in the last two years. I shall keep coming here again and again,” Federer, who was in Cuddalore as UNICEF’s goodwill ambassador said. This is his first visit to India.

Federer struck an instant rapport with the 70-odd children at the orphanage — many of whom had never heard of him before — and spent more than an hour answering all their questions. “Now I know everything about them — their names, their age, lessons and friends.”

Three-year-old Abhinaya instantly won his heart. The little girl spontaneously flung herself into his arms and remained there for the rest of his stay.

“India can be very proud of its tsunami recovery programme. It has been an extremely emotional experience for me. I shall now try to raise more funds for the rehabilitation effort,” he said.

The champion of nine Grand Slams, however, refused to answer any questions on his game and merely said, “I have some thoughts on how I could use the Roger Federer Foundation in tennis-for-charity to help disadvantaged children.”

Collector Gagandeep Singh Bedi explained the progress made so far in tsunami rehabilitation in the State.

Federer also visited the Integrated Child Development Scheme Centre at Thazhanguda village and sat through a puppetry show by children on HIV awareness.

Federer’s visit was, however, marked by drama outside the orphanage as UNICEF representatives were mobbed by reporters who were denied access to cover the champion’s visit. Federer was whisked away by security personnel and left for Villupuram to know about the tsunami recovery programme there.

Federer was appointed UNICEF’s goodwill ambassador in 2006 and has, since then, helped in several fund-raising initiatives.

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