^{Fata Begum in front of her house damaged by floods in Pulwama district  Photo: Srikanth Kolari/ActionAid}

JAMMU AND KASHMIR FLOODS, 2014

Heavy and incessant rains for over a week in September 2014 caused massive floods in Jammu and Kashmir, submerging significant portions of Anantnag, Kulgam, Pulwama, Baramulla, Bandipora and Srinagar districts. ActionAid India (AAI) carriedout a rapid assessment to assess the severity of damage caused and to find out the prevailing needs of the people affected. In collaboration with our allies – Human Welfare Foundation and Jammu and Kashmir Yateem Trust, our team visited most of the affected villages in the six severely affected districts. It was found that the deluge had damaged shelters, standing crops, trees and livestock, and it had also caused huge loss of lives (according to the State Government data, 284 people lost their lives in the floods).  The immediate needs of the people according to our rapid assessment included:

• Food/Ration
• Non-food items (hygiene kits, blankets, bedding, foam mats etc)
• Sanitation assistance- community toilets in selected areas
• Health care assistance
• Education support and child recreational facilities
• Psychosocial care
• Livelihood restoration assistance
• Shelters assistance

^{Relief distribution by ActionAid and its allied organisation J&K Yateem Trust  Photo: ActionAid}

ActionAid India Response

In the first phase of our emergency response efforts,we reached out to 2,000 most affected families across 40 villages in 4 districts (Anantnag, Kulgam, Pulwama and Baramulla).  ActionAid India was amongst the first few organizations that reached out to the people with immediate relief. We distributed dry rations, blankets, beddings, hygiene kits etc. to the affected families.  More than 3,500 people across 40 villages were provided with medical care during this phase. In the second phase of response, we reached out to nearly 1700 more families spread across 20 villages in Baramulla district. As part of our relief distribution, we provided ration kits, hygiene kits, solar lanterns, beddings (quilts, mattresses and warmer covers), blankets and kangris (pot with hot embers to keep warm). Apart from that we rolled out “cash for work” programme, providing 40 days of wage employment to over 1,000 families in 31 villages across Anantnag, Kulgam and Pulwama districts. Each family generated an income of around Rs 9,000 during this phase. It also helped them augment their coping capacity and resilience to deal with mental stress that they had been going through. In the third phase of our response, started in January 2015, webuilt  ‘Play and Learning Centers’ for children in 10 affected areas of Pulwama. Over 750 children benefitted from the centres  which were aimed at engaging children in recreational activities that could help them cope with the trauma they experienced during the disaster.  We also provided heat-convectors and blankets to some hospitals.

Accountability to Disaster affected Communities

In order to ensure high levels of accountability and transparency standards as well as to implement programmes in collaboration with community,  ActionAid constituted  Village Level Committees (VLC) for Relief and Rehabilitation in each village of intervention with representation from the Panchayat, Auqaf Committee, Masjid Committee, teachers,  anganwadi workers, affected people — including both women and men. The VLCs were overall responsible for the entire relief distribution in their village as well as recommended the list of families to be covered under the relief programme. Each VLC maintained a register to keep record of minutes and other processes or actions.

Women’s Participation and Leadership in Disaster Response

The overall emergency response was women-centric. The VLCs had significant representation from women. Women were registered as beneficiaries, tokens for distribution of materials were issued to women heads of familiesand women were encouraged to collect relief from the distribution sites.Women were also consulted on the composition of the relief material especially hygiene kits.

Media Coverage

The Daily Vox: Kashmir Floods: “I am unable to forget the scenes of my village” The Tribune:  Govt failed to issue early warnings

Our Current Emergency Appeals

• Maharashtra, Kerala & Karnataka Flood Relief 2019
• Assam & Bihar Flood Relief 2019
• Cyclone Fani (Odisha Cyclone 2019)

^{Photo Courtesy: Reuters/R Narendra}

Cyclone Hudhud pounded the eastern Indian coast on October 12, 2014, causing extensive damage and prompting evacuation of some 350,000 people in Andhra Pradesh and Odisha. The category 4 tropical cyclone, which had its landfall in Visakhapatnam, left a trail of devastation in north coastal districts such as Srikakulam, Vizianagaram and East Godavari. In Odisha, the districts of Gajapati, Koraput, Malkangiri and Rayagada were also the worst affected out of the eight districts hit by this cyclone in the state.  According to the government of Andhra Pradesh, the cyclone had not only claimed 61 lives and injured 43 others, but also affected 20.93 lakh families across the state.

While the visible damage was to the infrastructure like roads, buildings and the green cover, the worst affected were the ones living nearest to the coast, the fisher-folk, who are dependent on the sea for their survival. They lost their boats, nets and other fishing material. Poor people living in thatch ed and semi pucca houses in slums and villages were severely hit and they lost their shelter as well as livelihood.

ActionAid India’s response:

ActionAid and its partners namely, Grama Swarajya Samithi (GSS), District Fishermen’s Youth Welfare Association (DFYWA), Fishermen’s Youth Welfare Association (FYWA), and Mahila Action, were quick to respond to the victims of the cyclone in the highly affected areas of Visakhapatnam district which was the worst hit by the cyclone.

In the span of 2 months, they could reach out to more than 5000 people in 24 villages and 11 slums.  The affected were supported with immediate relief assistance such as cooked food, dry ration, clothing, education kits, first aid and livelihood support.  

Immediate and early recovery support to the affected families:

• Cooked food to 985 families
• Ready to eat / dry food – 1611 affected persons
• First Aid kits to 11 schools and 820 individual
• Tarpaulins / immediate shelter – 84 families
• Food and non food kits – 1750 families
• Education kits to 1400 children
• Fish vending baskets to 200 fisher women
• Livelihood kits to slum dwellers – 455 street vendors
• Hygiene kits 200 fisher women

Besides, all our allied organisations had actively participated in many pre and post cyclone meetings conducted by district collector, the minister and various departments and negotiated:

• for proper and effective enumeration of damaged boats and nets as enumerators are not visiting the field and paying required attention
• to increase the compensation amount to boats, nets and engine
• to compensate dry fish loss of the fiserfolk

Incessant heavy rains in late November and December 2015  triggered a massive flooding  affecting an estimated 1.8 million people living in the districts of Chennai, Cuddalore, Kanchipuram, Tiruvallur and Tuticorin in Tamil Nadu and in the Union Territory of Puducherry.  At least 470 people were killed while more than 40,000 were displaced in the deluge. The floods left a trail of destruction and untold misery and pushed marginalised and vulnerable groups of the society further into abject poverty.

The worst affected people included the urban poor — slum dwellers, the homeless, informal sector labourers; people belonging to Dalit and tribal communities; fisher folk communities; single women, female-headed households and children. The livelihoods of informal sector labourers were seriously affected – these included street vendors, fisherfolk, saltpan workers, daily wage labourers and agricultural workers.

ActionAid India Response

As soon as the flood waters started receding, we began our response by providing immediate relief to the most marginalised communities like Irula tribes, arunthathiyars (Dalit community mostly manual scavengers), single women, and women with disability, transgender community, salt-pan workers and fisher folk communities. In the initial period we were able to reach out to more than 10,105 families within a short span of time.

After conducting a rapid assessment, we attended to the immediate requirement of the community by providing  food,  clothes,  bed sheets, tarpaulins,  solar lanterns, WASH (water, sanitation and hygiene) materials, learning kits for the children. We also organised several medical camps in severely affected areas.

Volunteers from Jet Airways helping clean houses on Appasamy Street, Chennai

Response Strategy

The response plan was discussed, designed by the community and led by women groups. The team made up of allied organisations,  ActionAid colleagues and volunteers, facilitated discussion in a participatory process. The voices and views of the most marginalised and vulnerable were heard and taken into account while emergency response is being carried out. The following strategies enabled implementation of the programs:               

• Women’s groups were the key implementing and monitoring agencies at the community level. They facilitated the process of program planning, decision making for selection of beneficiaries for all programmes.  At the same time they also did advocacy work with the State Government for effective disaster response programmes.

• Transparency and accountability systems were institutionalised at the community level. Transparent systems for procurement and grievance redressal were set up. Procurement committees with the leadership of women were formed. Transparency boards were developed and displayed in the community.

Relief kits are being distributed among flood affected families

Rehabilitation and Recovery Efforts

Following our first phase of response, we moved into our more focused and targeted rehabilitation and recovery efforts, which included repairing and reconstruction of damaged houses  and providing livelihood support to those in need. 

Shelter Support

After consultation with the affected communities, ActionAid India decided to build and repair shelters for hundreds of families whose houses have either been washed away or damaged by the floods. Work is ongoing and as on June 2016, we have been able to provide support for the repair of 679 shelters and have repaired or reconstructed 453 shelters.

Skill training

As part of our efforts to rebuilding lives,  we have also initiated skills training programmes and distribution of aid items to 3,589 women to revitalise business and in case of women with disability to facilitate their mobility and access.

We also helped dozens of transgender people to restore their livelihoods with newer options. A total of 49 trans-women have so far been trained in embroidery, liquid embroidery, mural art, paper products making (bags, folders, note pads, card board files with recycling materials), textile printing as such batik print, block print, tie & dye with naphtha colour techniques.

Training center for enhancing livelihoods of flood affected women, set up with Society For Rights of All Women with Disabilities

A total of 300 women with disability have benefited with the provision of items such as hearing aid, crutches, reading materials in braille, wheel chairs, tricycles. They have also gained skills in embroidery, mural art painting, tailoring, paper products, etc.

In the process of providing rehabilitation we enabled women to create a space for themselves by participating in community committees that were set up in every project and made in charge of project implementation, beneficiary selection and project monitoring. A total of 217 women have been active in community committees.

Of the 1090 planned livelihood enhancement activities we were as yet able to implement 982. Our efforts will continue and we are hoping to enhance livelihood opportunities by building earning skills of many more women in the coming days.

A 6.7 magnitude earthquake hit the northeastern India on January 4. The epicentre of the quake was 33km west from Imphal, the capital city of Manipur.  According to the government, the quake resulted in the death of 8 people, while 308 others were injured, 419 houses fully damaged, 2500 houses partially damaged, leaving about 8,000 people displaced.

Soon after the disaster, our North-East Regional office along with our local partners swung into action and carried out a rapid assessment and provided immediate relief assistance to the families hit hard by the disaster.

 

ActionAid Response

As part of our emergency response, ActionAid provided assistance to around 500 persons of 83 households which were affected severely by the earthquake. 63 houses, which were partially damaged, were repaired and 23 houses, which were totally damaged, were constructed under the emergency project.

Following are the activities carried out as part of emergency response effort:

1. Meetings with District Administration and civil society organisations: We have conducted meetings and civil society bodies to identify most affected villages in Tausem, Nungba, and Tamenglong sub-divisions of Tamenglong district. Selection criteria of villages under the project include: (a) remoteness of the village and are not very well connected by road and (b) not-reached out by any NGOs and the Government. These meetings and our preliminary impact assessment visits in the affected villages has enabled us to finalise list of 14 villages where project was implemented.

2. Damage assessment and village meetings: We have conducted house to house visit to identify the worst affected houses in association with Village Authority and women’s groups in the village. We have ensured that the Village Authority and women groups select the poorest and most vulnerable families through door to door visit. Two rounds of meetings were carried out to finalise list of beneficiaries of the project. After endorsement of the Village Authority, we have prepared village-wise list of beneficiaries, whose houses were partially or totally damaged.

3. Community awareness programs on Earthquake Seismic Zone V and safety and precautionary measures: The interventions provided opportunity to provide awareness on Earthquake Seismic Zone V and safety and precautionary measures among communities during the community meetings that were held to implement the project activities. Village leaders, women leaders, teachers and other community members attended the meeting.

4. Orientation of masons and carpenters on Earthquake Seismic Zone V and shelter construction with DRR features: To start repairing and construction of shelters, we organised cluster wise orientation of masons and carpenters on shelter construction with Disaster Risk Reduction features. Manipur being in the Earthquake Zone V, which most of the carpenters and masons are not aware, they were given awareness on what is Earthquake Zone V. They were given orientation on retrofitting and other DRR features in repairing and construction of the houses. We have also promoted use of locally available materials for construction of house.

5. Reconstruction of fully damaged houses: As per the door to door visit, we have identified 21 fully damaged houses in five villages namely; Nungba, Raungdai, Tajekaphun, Reangpang and Kambiron. These houses were mud block wall house (MWH), locally known as Leirangkai. Such houses received maximum damages during earthquake and made unsafe for the inmates. Under the project we have constructed simple tin-roof mud-plastered or tin or bamboo matt-wall houses as villagers considered MWH no more earthquake resistant and safe to live.

6. Repair of partially damaged houses: Under the project we have repaired 76 houses, which are partially damaged. Most of the houses are retrofitted and repaired to make the houses safe and live-able. The repairing works include retrofitting pillars, walls, mending cracks developed on walls and floors etc.

 Outcome of our response activities:

• Increased awareness on Earthquake Seismic Zone V and safety and precautionary measures among the communities: The community meetings which provided information on Earthquake Seismic Zone V and safety and precautionary measures has helped communities to increased awareness on these aspects. Most of them said that these are information are new to them.

• Increased awareness on Earthquake Seismic Zone V and shelter with DRR features among masons and carpenters: As many as 20 masons and carpenters, who were part of reconstruction work, were given orientations on Earthquake Seismic Zone V and shelter with DRR features among masons and carpenters. All of them said the information are new to them and are beneficial in reconstruction and future construction work in the area.

More than 1,000 people have died and over 30 million have been affected in floods across India this monsoon, while it is estimated that 300,000 hectares of crops, mainly paddy, have been destroyed in the deluge in several parts of the country. More than 800,000 homes have also been damaged or destroyed, rendering thousands of people in flood-hit states live in temporary shelters.

Families living in low-lying areas in states such as Assam, Arunachal Pradesh, Nagaland, Manipur, Bihar, West Bengal, Gujarat, Odisha, Uttar Pradesh and Jharkhand have been hit hard by this year’s monsoon floods considered the worst since 2007.

Assam and Bihar are the two states that witnessed huge devastation with more than 3.3 million people spread across 25 districts and over 17 million in 21 districts have been affected by the current flooding in Assam and Bihar respectively.  More than 700 people lost their lives in the two states only. 

Flood waters are reportedly receding across the affected swathe but thousands of people continue to receive food and other essentials from relief camps and community kitchens set up by state governments.

ActionAid India and its partner organisations in Bihar, Assam, Nagaland, Uttar Pradesh, Rajasthan and Gujarat have been responding to the floods and we have so far been able to reach out to more than 10,000 affected families, especially those belonging to marginalised and vulnerable communities across the regions.   

Know more about our state-wise emergency responses  

Assam and other Northeast states

Humanitarian responses in Bihar 

Our responses in Uttar Pradesh

Gujarat and Rajasthan