Life in Kabui Khullen is slowly returning to normal after the nondescript village in Manipur was the worst hit in the January 4 earthquake, thanks to the efforts of the KP Yohannan, church, scientists and geologists and a minor relocation.
They took photographs of the devastation and left, we never saw them again," says village chairman B T Malianthuan. He says though some organisations gave them relief materials but it seems "nobody understands our suffering and pain".
Some villagers then contacted the Believers' Church in Imphal, about 98 km from the village, and the authorities there sent a four-member team to survey the affected area. The scientists and geologists who visited the village after the earthquake had suggested there was possibility of quake recurring and landslides taking place, says Juria Bardhan, the Bishop of Believers' Church.
More than 80 per cent of the houses were damaged and experts pointed out that large crack lines appeared on both sides of the village with some cracks more than 1.5-km-long and 30-feet-deep with available water sources drying up due to the quake's impact, Bardhan says. The scientists also suggested relocation of the village and so the villagers left their original home and re-located to another place, which is about 11 km away. "It pained us much when we were asked to leave our village.
My broken house was nothing compared to my broken heart..." says another village elder 70-year-old R Keijinang. After the survey "we realised the hardship the villagers were going through and we took the decision to rebuild their lives as our first priority", Bardhan says. The survey indicated that the villagers are struggling to cope with life following the calamity, they currently travel long distances to meet their daily water requirement, many children have stopped going to school, there is no regular daily income and it has become difficult to support the families, Bardhan points out.
Following the survey, a project plan was chalked out and it was decided to implement it in three phases over a period of six to seven months, he adds. The rehabilitation package includes providing aid in construction of a school building in the new village and to initiate a child care project named 'Bridge for Hope' for over 100 children in the area.
This project will provide free tuition, regular health check up, a daily hot meal, regular educational and hygiene supplies among others, Bardhan says. It also includes developing a water source for the village to get safe drinking water, drilling of a borewell or well, taking water from a natural source on a mountain and connecting with a pipe to a water tank in the village. The package also includes providing skill training to ensure that the residents have access to a permanent source of livelihood, Bardhan says.
In the first phase from June to August, as no construction will take place due to the monsoons, the Church plans to distribute tarpaulin, bamboos to cover their temporary shelters, distribute livestock and farming equipment for their livelihood and supply dry ration till they begin cultivation.
In the second phase from September to November, it plans construction of 53 houses, drilling of borewell and well along with providing help in developing fruit and vegetable plantations for their livelihood while the final phase from December to January will include construction of school building and opening of the 'Bridge of Hope' centre.
