• Struggling for survival
• 'Washed up' fishermen turn carpenter and build their own boats
• 'Tsunami village' rises from rubble
• Inspired by Church aid, sea gypsies turn to Christ
• Foreign aid crucial
• Body ID center looks future
• Shoddy housing doesn't make a home
• Outside volunteer carves new career in housing
• Counting the costs to the environment
• Underwater tourist trails
• Turtle hatchery at risk after waves
• Where the money went
• Covered for everything but the wave
• Corporations learn that caring counts
• Starting again from scratch
• Swedish survivor gains perspective after wave 'turned my life upside-down'
• Reasons to smile
• Justice will prevail, investor believes
• Courage and resilience ease personal pain
• Help wanted
• Second chance to get it right
• Tide turns on tourist demographics in Khao Lak
• Light on the horizon
• One day at a time
• Widows and orphans left out in the cold
• Art for the heart
RECOVERING THE DEAD
Shoddy housing doesn't make a home
Villagers are unhappy with jerry-built boxes thrown up by state and other aid organisations in place of destroyed property
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| The Chusalao family has to take a bath outside their new house built by the Army Engineering Division to replace the old one destroyed by the tsunami in Ban Nam Khem. The family is not happy with the house, which is too small and has no bathroom or toilet. |
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| A woman props up the ceiling in her newly-built house, after it fell down, at Ban Pru Tiew in Takua Pa district of Phangnga province. |
When Nam Khem resident Phanupong Chusalao lost his house to the tsunami last year, the government's pledge of giving him a new home was a relief and the 28-year-old villager even dreamed of recovering.
But his dreams were shattered. The new house, which was built by the military, is nothing less than a nightmare. The place more closely resembles a box than a place to live in. Even worse, there is no bathroom or toilet.
''There's only one empty room, a tile roof, unpolished cement floor, and iron gate. That's all my house has. Actually, I'm not sure if I can call it a house,'' said Mr Phanupong.
When applying for the house, he recalled, there were two sizes to choose from - 4x9 and 6x6 sq m. He chose the 6x6 option, but the authorities told him it would not fit his land, so he switched to the smaller one.
''What they built for me, though, was only 4x6 sq m. I asked the military officer who supervised the construction. He said the budget had just run out, and that's all I could get,'' said Mr Phanupong.
He said the house was obviously too small for five family members, yet they had no choice but to move in two months ago. Without a bathroom, they had to shower outside, and use their neighbour's toilet.
After being informed that the construction cost of each house was 120,000 baht, he wondered where the money had gone in his case.
''I think mine is the worst in Takua Pa district. How could they build a house without a bathroom? That's a misery, like they're not helping us but hitting us again. If I had money, I would smash it down, and build a new one on my own,'' he said.
A number of people have been badly served under government and non-governmental housing projects. Mr Phanupong's case is only the tip of the iceberg.
Phangnga has become the main recipient of charity housing projects as the province was hit hard by the tsunami, and thousands of houses were destroyed.
Statistics from the Provincial Social Development and Human Security Office show that a total of 2,634 housing units were built for affected families in the coastal province. Those units were built under different projects, and sponsored by different donors.
The intention of these projects was good, but the outcome is often a different story. Most were carried out imprudently and failed to respond to the owners' needs. Some, for example, had leaking roofs, while many two-storey houses were too high and not safe for families with small children.
The location is a major problem with many. Since most of the affected people in Phangnga are fishermen, the project sites that are far from the sea make it difficult for them to look after their trawlers.
The 700 army-built housing units at Ban Nam Khem are probably the worst of all. People have complained about the compact size, and all have only a single room and toilet. Villagers were forced to choose between the 4x9 or 6x6 sq m patterns regardless of the size of their family. The door is a sliding type made of light metal that rattles when the wind blows.
''I fear that if a tsunami came, the down-sliding door would be hard to open, and I would get stuck and die in my own house,'' said grandmother Tong Dokchan, a 65-year-old Nam Khem villager.
The Rotary International Project at Pru Tiew, which consists of 80 housing units, is another poor example.
Each house consists of two small rooms of 2x2 and 3x2 sq m on the upper floor, and one bathroom downstairs. All were made with poor materials, including plywood walls and a cement floor that looks fragile, as if it would break if heavy objects were put on it.
Ratana Phanthakarn, 45, said she chose the project because it's not far from Ban Nam Khem, where she used to stay. She has to pay 300 baht a month rent at Pru Tiew. When she first moved into the house a month ago, she was speechless.
''Seeing the house today makes me sleepless. It looks more like a temporary shelter. I don't dare to imagine how long it will last, or when it's going to collapse. I really miss the old house at Ban Nam Khem. That was a lot better,'' said Ms Ratana.
Other projects - such as the 50 housing units also at Pru Tiew sponsored by former Miss Universe Porntip Narkhirunkanok, and the 222 units supported by iTV at Bang Lud - look much better with more space and divided rooms, but still fail to answer the villagers' needs.
Miss Porntip's project has one-storey houses with two bedrooms, one bathroom, a living room and some space at the back for cooking.
''I moved in six months ago, and the house is quite comfortable although today the roof has started to leak and the ceiling started to fall. The road within the project was laid with sand and it was almost impassable in the rain,'' said Prathan Bantoeng, head of the community.
Like many other projects, its location is inconvenient for fishing families. There is nowhere near to dock their trawlers as the sea is far away.
''But we had to stay because we had no other choice. At least it's better than nothing,''said Mr Prathan.
The more fortunate people received help from non-governmental organisations (NGOs). A few good projects can be found, such as the one at Tok Pu community in Ban Nam Khem and two other sites at Ban Tung Wa and Ban Tub Tawan. The villagers there have the kind of houses they wished for. They had a say in every step of the construction, and are happy in their new homes.
Panya Ananthakul, head of Tok Pu community, was all smiles when talking about his success in finishing the community's 10 housing units.
The houses are two-storey, comprising a bedroom, a living room, bathroom, a kitchen and a porch on the upper floor.
''At first the authority told us to move to Pru Tiew, but we refused. Tok Pu is a fishing community and we can't stay far from the sea,''said Mr Panya.
So the community kept struggling on its own, seeking funds from private donors. It got four million baht from the Save Andaman Group and used it to build 10 units and a community bridge. The materials they chose were reasonably priced but strong enough for the houses' structure. The pillars were specially designed so the houses could stand a tidal wave if another one occurs.
''We are more proud to live in the houses we built on our own, as those the government built did not pay heed to our feelings and our way of life,''said Mr Panya.
Ban Tung Wa at Tambon Kuek Kak, and Ban Tub Tawan at Tambon Bang Muang are other ideal housing projects.
Both projects are alike, as they started from the villagers' refusal to move off the land. Some private groups emerged to claim their land rights after the disaster but the residents, who are mostly Moken sea gypsies, insisted on staying where they have lived for generations.
''We wouldn't go elsewhere because here is the best place we can live and earn a living. It's only a kilometre-and-a-half from the sea,''said Arom Porsaeng, a Tung Wa villager.
With support from NGOs like the Southern Community Planning Network and the Four Regions Slum Network, the residents of both communities were encouraged to participate in the building of their own houses, from the designing to the process of construction.
Their houses have everything they need - a bedroom, a bathroom, a living room, a kitchen, a porch and basement for storing their fishing gear.
The houses at Ban Tub Tawan also had bamboo walls, which they said was like traditional Moken houses. The bamboo wood is long-lasting and offers good ventilation. The sizes of the houses were matched with the number of family members, to make sure they were not overcrowded.
Parkphum Vithantirawat, manager of Save Andaman, said when a house is built it is important to make it adjustable to the owners' lifestyles, as well as their needs and occupations.
''If those factors had been regarded, people should have been happier with their new dwellings, which could have been more like a home than a box,'' he said.
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