On the morning of 26th December 2004, a massive earthquake measuring 9.0 on the Richter scale hit the west coast of Northern Sumatra in Indonesia. It set off a giant Tsunami, which traveled across the Ocean causing an immense human toll and massive damages in countries surrounding the Indian Ocean. In India, the coastal areas of the states of Tamil Nadu, Kerala and Andhra Pradesh as well as the Union Territories of Andaman and Nicobar Islands and Pondicherry (Pondicherry) were the most affected. The state of Tamil Nadu has been the worst affected on the mainland, with a death toll of 7,793. Kanyakumari district has had 808 casualties, with entire low lying villages having been destroyed.

The majority of those affected on the coast were fishermen. They suffered the brunt of the disaster, death and injuries, lost houses, livelihoods, household goods and assets like boats and nets. Intervida-Awakening Jagriti has rushed with its relief team to Muttom one of the Tsunami affected village in Kanyakumari District, where 48 people died & 11 missing during tsunami. Intervida’s relief and recovery effort aimed not only at supporting the affected people, but also in helping people to build back better. In this process Intervida has closely worked with District administration and Kanyakumari Relief and Rehabilitation Centre for effective intervention.

Fisher folk houses damaged in Tsunami at Muttom

Temporary tents being built for the Tsunami affected people at Muttom

Intervida Awakening Jagriti started its Tsunami relief works from the first day of January 2005. Intervida has rendered its relief work in the Tsunami affected Muttom village. The fishing community living in various parts of Muttom such as Keezha Muttom, Alangaramatha Theru, Nadu Muttom, Ponnamthoppu, Odai Street, and Yappu Muttom were severely affected by Tsunami. The following emergency relief activities were carried out by Intervida in Muttom.

Tents
Intervida team has set up 63 tents in JPR Auditorium campus at Muttom as an immediate temporary shelter (prior to temporary shelter set up by Government) for those people who had lost their homes in Tsunami.

Water and Sanitation
Safe water is fundamental to human life, the lack of access to safe water and sanitation has many other serious repercussions in the Tsunami affected region. Intervida’s has done the following relief works for ensuring safe water and sanitation facility for the Tsunami affected community in Muttom.

Damaged houses renovated at Muttom

Shelter
In the shelter reconstruction task State Government has provided land for house construction, Intervida has taken the responsibility of constructing permanent houses. Intervida has decided to construct 268 new houses in Muttom. The total plinth area was 400 sq.ft. including toilet. Intervida has adopted a model facilitating horizontals and vertical expansion of the house in the future.

House renovation work at Muttom
Intervida has renovated 286 damaged houses. Out of 286 houses 163 houses were damaged by Tsunami and the rest of the 123 houses were damaged due to lightning, erratic rainfall and cyclone.
Construction of compound wall in houses
Damaged compound walls in the Tsunami affected houses were rebuilt in Keezha Muttom and Nadu Muttom area.

New House Construction in Muttom
Intervida has constructed 268 new houses in Muttom for the Tsunami affected families in Muttom village. Out of 268 houses, 175 insitu houses were constructed in Tsunami affected areas such as Keezha Muttom, Alangaramatha Street, Nadu Muttom, Ponnamthoppu and Odai Street. The rest of the 93 new houses were constructed in new sites. 62 new houses were constructed in James Nagar (New site-1) and 31 new houses were constructed in new site – 2 (opp. to All St. Hr. Sec. School in Muttom).

Tsunami section at Collectorate has helped in allotting the new sites for the house construction. Village rehabilitation committee and the local body leaders have helped in planning, implementing and monitoring the house construction work. Well experienced civil contractors were engaged in executing the house construction work in the stipulated time. Heavy rainfall slashed now and then hampered the house construction work. Within a period of one year Intervida has completed construction of 175 houses and handed over to beneficiaries. Electricity connection, Panchayat plan approval, house tax and water facilities were arranged to all the newly constructed houses. All the newly constructed houses were handed over to beneficiaries. Intervida acknowledgement letter given to all beneficiaries who have received the new houses.

House construction in progress at Muttom	Completed house at Muttom

Completed house at Colachel

New House construction in Colachel
Kanyakumari District administration has requested Intervida for construction of 42 new houses at Colachel. Meeting was held with the village level committee for the house construction. MOU signed with District administration. Work orders were issued to the Contractors. In the old sites, 16 houses were planned as first floor houses due to inadequate area available for the house construction (ground floor 300sq.ft and first floor 100 sq ft) with toilet facility and rest of the 26 houses were constructed as ground floor houses. Intervida has completed the house construction with in a period of three and half months. These houses were handed over to beneficiaries on 07.07.2007.


Infrastructure
As infrastructural services such as access to roads have not kept pace with housing construction the newly completed homes on sites that lack basic infrastructure. In this juncture Intervida has provided infrastructural services and amenities in Muttom.

Construction of Community Hall
Three community halls were constructed in Muttom. Two community halls with RCC roof (one at Ponnamthoppu and another hall at Yappu Muttom) and one Tin sheet roof community hall was built in All St. Higher Secondary school in Muttom.

Bore well for villagers
A bore well was established with pump room facility in Muttom at East side of All St. Higher Secondary School and it has been handed over to Panchayat for further operation and maintenance.

Completed toilet block at Muttom

Individual Toilet facility in Muttom
Intervida had planned to distribute fishing resources such as vallam and Catamaran to the Tsunami affected fisher folk in Muttom. Since the parish committee did not give proper list for distributing livelihood item, Intervida decided to utilize that amount for the individual toilet block construction in Muttom village. Individual toilet blocks for 575 houses were constructed in Tsunami affected Muttom village. Now in almost all houses in Muttom has toilet facility. Government has selected Muttom Panchayat for the Nirmal Gram Puraskar Award in 2007 as all the houses in this village have toilet facility.

Renovation of class room
Intervida has renovated 2 class room and a head room in the All St. higher secondary school and a meeting hall was renovated in St. Johns primary school in Muttom.

Drinking water facility in Schools
Drinking water facility was arranged for the All St. Hr. Sec. School. A bore well with a depth of 650 feet drilled, motor, pipe and tank arrangements were made properly. Another bore well with motor facility was arranged in St. Johns primary school, Muttom.

Sanitary blocks in Schools
A new sanitary block was constructed with plumbing work and 2 sanitary blocks in All St. higher secondary school were renovated in Muttom. Three new sanitary blocks and a compound wall were constructed in St. Johns primary school.
Road facilities in Muttom
Common infrastructure facilities such as B.T road with a length of 700m and a breadth of 5m at James Nager, W.B.M road with a length of 211m and with a breadth of 3.6m at new site no. 2, Retaining wall at James Nager and new site no.2 were constructed. Street lights were arranged in the newly formed roads.

B.T Road laid at James Nagar, Muttom	W.B.M road laid at opp. All St. Hr. Sec. School, Muttom

Health and Nutrition
As a long term rehabilitation activity the health sector of Intervida is aimed at improving the quality of life by encouraging sound health practices among the school children in Muttom. Access to health services for the major ailments among school children is another important activity.

Under this activity children who need specialized health care were referred to appropriate specialists and their treatment was aided by the health sector. As part of this, Intervida sought greater participation from parents of these children as well as from the hospitals that we refer our children. The following major cases identified and taken up for further treatment by Intervida, Herat case, abdominal wall defect case, brain damage case, mal nutrition case, lymph on the right shoulder case. Apart from this a health and higiene awareness camp was also conducted at Schools.

Education
As a long term rehabilitation activity Intervida has extended its education sector activities to the 3 schools in Muttom to make the school environment more conducive to children through strategically planned activities.

Distribution of educational assistance material was one of the main activities of the education sector. The objective of this activity was to create an interest in education among the children in schools. Children received educational materials such as school bags, sharpener, eraser, scale, water bottle, Tiffin box, pencil box, pencil, fountain pen, note books and slate.
An orientation programme for school teachers was organized for all the teachers in the 3 schools. This programme was aimed to educate the teachers on the corporate identity of Intervida. Formation of Manavar Mandram in the sponsored schools was another important activity. The objective of this activity is to improve the participation of children in the learning process. Psycho Social intervention was carried out to help psycho behavioral adjustment of the children to improve their academic performance. Need based training on “Classroom Management” was given to teachers of the 3 schools during March 2007.

Livelihood
Fishing Net
Intervida has provided eight different types of fishing nets (Kacha, Chala, Disco, Echa, Kangoose, Vala, Role, and Othakundu) with a total weight of 8,826.908 Kg. to the Tsunami affected fisher folk in Muttom. Intervida has also supplied 4,016.66 Kg of rope and 15, 5705 Nos. of float to the fisher folk in Muttom. In total 870 Tsunami affected fisher folk were benefited by this activity.

Vallam and Catamaran
Five new Vallam and 3 new Catamaran were distributed to Tsunami affected fisher folk and 2 Vallam repaired in Muttom.

Tsunami Memorial Stupa

Sewing machine distribution
17 Nos. of Stitching machine and a over lock machine were distributed to Tsunami affected people in Muttom.

Small Business Support
17 Tsunami affected families were assisted to set up small businesses such as petty shop, cloth business in Muttom.

Tsunami Memorial Stupa
Tsunami Memorial Stupa was constructed in Muttom in memory of Tsunami Disaster happened in 26th December 2004.