THIRUVANANTHAPURAM: Keralam’s comprehensive rehabilitation strategy for the landslide-ravaged regions of Wayanad is emerging as a national model for post-disaster recovery and reconstruction with the National Disaster Management Authority (NDMA) studying the model to develop a comprehensive framework for post-disaster housing recovery and reconstruction.
NDMA has convened a three-day workshop in Kozhikode with the aim of translating the lessons from Wayanad and other disaster-affected states into standardised national guidelines for rebuilding homes, relocating vulnerable communities and creating disaster-resilient settlements.
KSDMA member-secretary Sekhar Kuriakose, also a member of the National Recovery and Reconstruction Technical Advisory Committee, told TNIE that the housing standards and township planned for Wayanad have set a unique benchmark at the national level.
“Rebuilding Wayanad, particularly in the housing sector, is not merely about building physical structures, but about restoring livelihoods and creating complete living spaces.
Livelihood restoration is an integral part of housing recovery, and this holistic approach is rarely seen on such a scale in standard rehabilitation projects,” said Sekhar.
He said that the recovery framework integrates efforts from the state government, non-governmental organisations, civil society groups, and political parties to ensure complete social and economic rehabilitation for the affected families.
The National Technical Advisory Committee has decided to host an experiential learning workshop from November 11 to 13, in Keralam to showcase the state’s post 2024 landslide recovery initiatives. He said that the housing project has also drawn active interest from other states frequently affected by natural calamities.
“A high-level delegation led by Assam’s additional chief secretary visited Wayanad to study the ongoing township development and ground-level execution on Tuesday. The team is inspecting the site to evaluate how Keralam’s housing-cum-livelihood recovery model can be replicated in other vulnerable regions,” he said.
The workshop is being held to address the ongoing challenges faced by disaster-prone states in the country struggling to convert financial assistance and policy commitments into effective rehabilitation projects.
A key objective of the workshop is to equip state government officials with the technical and administrative capacity to plan, implement and monitor housing recovery projects.
It is learned that the Post-Disaster Needs Assessments conducted in 13 states that received NDRF assistance during the 15th Finance Commission period recorded housing sector damages of `37,143 crore and losses of `6,335 crore. Against the total recovery requirement of `44,751 crore, the housing sector received `9,712 crore in recovery and reconstruction assistance.
Recovery initiatives
Workshop to be held to showcase state’s post-2024 landslide recovery initiatives
Housing project has drawn interest from other states frequently affected by calamities