Report critical of 2004 tsunami aid

Dec 26 2009

British aid agencies working in the wake of the Asian tsunami "left a legacy that is more than just bricks and mortar", according to a new report.

But members of the Disasters Emergency Committee (DEC) faced a "steep learning curve", with poor co-ordination and a lack of expertise sometimes leading to costly mistakes and delays, the independent report by development construction experts Arup said.

Agencies faced an unprecedented and "monumental" challenge after the tsunami struck on Boxing Day 2004.

The report looked at reconstruction in the devastated Aceh province, at the northern end of the Indonesian island of Sumatra.

The disaster saw 167,000 people in Aceh reported dead or missing, more than 500,000 displaced and about 800km of coastline destroyed. Of the £382 million raised by the DEC, 42% was spent in Aceh, where agencies constructed over 13,700 houses, 55 schools and 68 health centres.

The report found: "The tendency in Aceh was for government, donors and the media to focus on the number of houses constructed as a measure of achievement."

It said agencies could have done more for the locals in terms of helping the economy and job opportunities but praised the willingness to "build back better" with DEC reconstruction products designed to withstand future natural disasters.

The report continued: "DEC member agencies also engaged with beneficiaries and local partners in a way which built trust, ownership and responsibility. Their reconstruction programmes have left a legacy that is more than just bricks and mortar."

Disasters Emergency Committee Chief Executive Brendan Gormley said agencies faced "an incredible challenge".

He said: "We are very proud of the way the member agencies responded and given that 80% of all UK households supported the appeal we think the people of this country can be justly proud as well. We accept that in the rush to help as many people as possible, as quickly as possible, we inevitably learnt some things the hard way."