Shelter

United Nations Special Report on Orissa Super Cyclone

Shelter

The October’99 cyclone damaged about 1.8 million houses and other buildings in the state rendering thousands homeless.

The government of Orissa categorised the damage in the following categories:

1) Partially collapsed

fully collapsed house

2) Fully Collapsed

3) Washed away

Residents were given rebuilding assistance ranging from Rs 1000, to Rs 2000 and Rs 3000 depending on the category of damage. The assistance provided has helped some but most still find it hard to repair their houses. During the cyclone thousands of villagers took shelter on the roofs of pucca (brick and mortar) houses while their mud houses were submerged in water. After the cyclone some of them found their houses partly or fully collapsed or completely washed away. Thousands of pucca houses too were damaged but compared to mud houses the damage was much less.

Besides the damage to their houses most of them also lost their livelihood kits, cattle, damaged agricultural land and loss in the agriculture produce. Repairing the houses has become a difficult task. Thousands of them have built temporary rooms are waiting for a few good harvests before they repair their homes. Thousands still use the polythene sheets provided during the relief phase as their roof. Others live in tents on top of their collapsed house. Acute scarcity of housing material has been reported in the affected districts.

UN convened a consultation on shelter rehabilitation strategy on 25 March at Bhubaneswar with the participation of the GOO, NGOs and some architect. The present housing scenario, construction efforts were discussed. Housing strategy was presented by GOO. UN is proposing to construct summer cum monsoon or multipurpose shelters to assist the thousands still living in tents and damaged houses.

UN has appealed to all NGOs and Donors for taking up summer-cum-monsoon shelters. The response has been quite positive.

Downloads :

Proposal for construction of SUMMER-CUM-MONSOON Shelters

Latest Housing Situation in the affected districts