Who governs reconstruction? Changes and continuity in policies, practices and outcomes - Rebuilding After Disasters: From Emergency to Sustainability - page 157

The role of NGOs
In order to analyze the role of civil society and NGOs after the 2001 earth-
quake in Gujarat, it is necessary to make a clear distinction between local
and international actors. Gujarat was the home state of Mahatma Gandhi,
whose teaching inspired many of its vibrant local NGOs and civil-society
organizations. In particular, Abhiyan, which was founded in response to the
devastating cyclone of May 1998 with the aim of enhancing communities'
disaster preparedness, had a pivotal role in policy-making. It facilitated
a dialogue between the government and communities through a massive
information and consultation campaign. This allowed people to express
their opposition to relocation and contractor-driven reconstruction. During
reconstruction Abhiyan and several other local NGOs focused on supporting
the government in creating an enabling environment.
Owner-driven reconstruction does not necessarily lead to a sustainable built
environment and resilient communities. The application of local knowledge
and building technologies may be constrained, for example, by inadequate
building capacity, lack of information and building codes and guidelines.
Abhiyan ensured that people would be informed about their entitlements
and options through information campaigns and rural information centres.
Abhiyan collaborated with the government in organizing training campaigns
for masons and homeowners. It trained retired masons in advocacy for safety
and posted them in villages to supervise reconstruction at community level.
Furthermore, Abhiyan set up demonstration camps to inform people about
different technological options, including low-cost, eco-friendly, earth-based
building technologies. The use of alternative building materials was regulated
through guidelines that were endorsed by the government. 16
Most local NGOs supported self-help construction programmes through
additional construction materials, training and technical assistance to
communities that opted for financial compensation. However, as argued
by Jigyasu in Chapter 3 of this topic, in some cases NGOs' concept of
'enablement' was rather patronizing and led them, instead of building upon
local practices and traditions, to persuade communities to adopt their house
designs and building technologies. Most international NGOs, in contrast,
proved to be less comfortable with owner-driven reconstruction and went
ahead with the same village adoption and contractor-driven approach they
had followed eight years earlier in Maharashtra. Several international NGOs
and private corporations persuaded villagers to relocate and built exactly the
same Maharashtra-type grid-patterned settlements with large, medium and
small houses for different landholding categories of people. In fact, though
the government changed its own policy, it still offered communities the op-
tion of entering an agreement with NGOs to rebuild their houses. This led
numerous villages to renounce the financial compensation offered by the
government and to opt for agency-built houses.