Fishermen still cut off from sea

By Sunil Raman BBC News, Tamil Nadu

Some boats have been repaired, many more have not

It is now more than five weeks since the Indian Ocean tsunami disaster. But thousands of fishermen in the southern Indian state of Tamil Nadu have still not returned to the sea.

The waters of the Bay of Bengal off Nagappattinam remain empty.

According to government figures, the tsunami destroyed around 20,000 boats.

About 10,000 catamarans and motor boats were registered with the government but it has little information about the rest.

The local administration is collecting information to begin the process of getting fishermen back to work.

Sense of fear

Selvan, a young fisherman in Tharangambai, knows little of what the government plans for him.

"There is no problem with housing and food rations. What I want to know is when I get a boat and fishing net."

Many say that fish have been poisoned and therefore have not returned to the sea Peruvandan, fisherman

Madhavan was at sea when the tsunami struck and had no idea that his village had been devastated.

"I am lucky to have my boat intact but I do not want to return to the sea when others have nothing," he says.

There is also a lurking sense of fear among many fishermen.

There is talk of another tsunami.

Peruvandan, whose damaged boat lies in Akkaraipettai, says: "Many say that fish have been poisoned and therefore have not returned to the sea."

Army repairs

Small restaurants still do not serve seafood.

A restaurant owner in Karaikal says most of the dishes on his menu cannot be served because no one is fishing.

Infrastructure, like this pier, suffered badly in Nagappattinam

"They say marine life has been affected and that different kinds of fish have appeared," he says.

The Indian army has helped with the repair of a few boats but there are many still to go.

Around 15,000 families, most of them from the fishing industry, have refused to return to their homes on the coast.

Mogan, a fisherman, says: "I am scared of returning. I want the government to allocate us land far from the sea."

The local administration has not been able to frame a policy on the rehabilitation of fishermen because of these issues.

Ram Mohan is the co-ordinator of different charities working in Nagappattinam.

"Many fishermen want to live away from the sea while not giving up ownership of the land they owned when the tsunami struck. Their identity is closely linked to the coastline."

The local administration has now formed a committee with officials, representatives of members of the legislature and traditional heads of fishermen, called Naatuaamai, to tackle the issues.

Plans have been made to provide interest-free loans to fishermen to buy fishing equipment.

But before that they need to know if they can live away from the sea and yet still have access.

Until then they will live in temporary, one-room shelters for displaced families.