Chapter 7: The Tsunami and a New Chapter

The tsunami of 26 December 2004 was a terrible calamity resulting in serious loss of lives and livelihoods in the coastal areas of Tamil Nadu, Andhra Pradesh, Kerala, and the Andaman and Nicobar Islands. The response to this calamity was immediate from the Central and State governments, non-governmental organisations, bilateral and multilateral agencies, UN organisations, religious groups, and the media. In an article titled, “Beyond Tsunami: An Agenda for Action” in The Hindu of 17 January 2005, I outlined the immediate as well as the short- and long-term measures that should be taken for providing relief to the affected families, and for strengthening the coping capacity of the coastal communities in case of future tsunamis. I also indicated the steps needed to strengthen the ecological security of coastal areas, in order to ensure sustainable livelihoods for both the fishing and farm communities living along the coast. This agenda for action served as the basis for the tsunami recovery plans of many government and non-government organisations…