News Index

Marilyn Smith - SciDev.Net, 2006-01-12
The right way to rebuild Asia's coastal barrier
In the wake of the December 2004 tsunami, the Indian Ocean nations affected are admitting that the damage was partially self-inflicted. Over the past 20 years, these countries have systematically destroyed one of the most effective barriers to ocean forces — mangrove forests — in the name of development. Shrimp farms, tourist resorts and urban expansion have devoured 35 to 50 per cent of these 'bioshields' over the entire region. Many of these deforested pockets of prosperity were hit hardest, the tsunami washing away years of economic growth.

Teresa Buerkle - FAO, 2006-01-05
Sustainable recovery requires long-term effort in tsunami zone - Q&A with Alex Jones, FAO’s post-tsunami operations coordinator
Overall, the recovery is going well, but depending on the countries and on the level of damage, we are at different stages of recovery. If we look at Thailand where damage was severe but not overwhelming, they are well along the road to recovery. On the opposite end of the spectrum is the northwest coast of Aceh, Indonesia, where many areas are still in critical condition. Our biggest challenge is the scale of the reconstruction effort. Millions of people were affected across seven countries. It was an unprecedented level of destruction. In Indonesia and Sri Lanka, around 100 miles of coastline were destroyed – not just a couple of areas or towns.

The Observer, 2006-01-01
Tsunami aid groups look to environment
The devastation caused by the Asian tsunami in the tiny Indonesian province of Aceh has been well documented. Now, one year after the tragedy, there are growing concerns about the long-term impact of the disaster on the environment. So great are these concerns that a leading British charity has been handed the first international humanitarian aid grant given specifically for environmental work.

The Jakarta Post, 2005-12-27
Aceh twelve months
The tent camp at Lhoknga in Aceh province has been transformed over the months into an area that has plants and flowers; it has a cleanliness about it as it nestles under the shade of coconut trees, which make the site look quite attractive. But this is twelve months on and that life, no matter how tranquil it may look, is nothing short of unhappiness and of helplessness.

Nick Meo - Newsday, 2005-12-27
For tsunami survivors, long wait ahead
Muhammad Ibrahim, 42, takes a mournful sip of coffee and surveys the crowded wooden barracks where he lives with family members who survived the tsunami a year ago yesterday.In a few minutes, he lost several relatives, his home and his fishing boat to the giant wave, which survivors here in Aceh province describe as taller than the 50-foot coconut palm trees.

The Jakarta Post, 2005-12-26
Aceh on the right road
Too slow is how critics often describe the reconstruction work being carried out in Aceh. We are of a different opinion. We do not reject the critics' findings, as much as the yardsticks they use. The Aceh and Nias Reconstruction and Rehabilitation Agency (BRR) was only set up in April, four months after the tsunami struck on Dec. 26, 2004. If an assessment were done today, we would only be able to judge the agency based on nine months of work, which is still less than a year.

Meine van Noordwijk, Trudy O'Connor and Gerhard Manurung - ICRAF - The Jakarta Post, 2005-12-26
Why has transition from relief to rehabilitation been so slow?
Once the word was out about the hundreds of thousands of Acehnese lives destroyed in last year's Boxing Day tsunami, the international response was quick in speed, and great in magnitude. Yet despite the obstacle of poor security being removed by the creation of a peace treaty, the transition from relief to rehabilitation of livelihoods has been slower than expected. Five main reasons for this slow development became apparent during a recent workshop in Meulaboh, where representatives of local government, national and international agencies and NGOs discussed opportunities to better meet the long term needs of the affected communities.

Reuters, 2005-12-26
Key facts about the tsunami rebuilding effort
Around $13.6 billion has been pledged by donors around the world to rebuild Indian Ocean countries after the Dec. 26 earthquake and tsunami, which killed around 230,000 people, the U.N. Envoy for Tsunami Recovery says. It is more than enough to meet the estimated needs. Here are some key facts about the tsunami relief and rebuilding effort, which the United Nations says was the most generous and most immediately funded international emergency relief effort ever.

Mark Kinver - BBC, 2005-12-25
Mangroves 'saved lives'
Healthy mangrove forests helped save lives in the Asia tsunami disaster, a new report has said. The World Conservation Union (IUCN) compared the death toll from two villages in Sri Lanka that were hit by the devastating giant waves. Two people died in the settlement with dense mangrove and scrub forest, while up to 6,000 people died in the village without similar vegetation. Many forests in the past were felled to build prawn farms and tourist resorts.

Gary Walker - Plan Asia Regional Office - Reuters, 2005-12-25
Fisherman
It was his 44th birthday and the first day of the New Year when, a year ago, fisherman Mahyudin Jamil stood weeping on the spot where his house once stood. Not even the foundation stones remained of the family home where he had lived a frugal but contented life with his wife and their seven children. He had enjoyed fishing is his red and green wooden boat, named Ababit after a bird, selling his catch at market and saving a few fish for grilled suppers.