Gammaduwa Before and After Cyclone Ditwah
Photo courtesy of Ruki Fernando
Gammaduwa is among the most beautiful and remote villages I have visited. Its very soil has provided for the cultivation of tea, cinnamon, cardamon and pepper. The fresh air we breathed, the fresh water we sipped and dipped in and the fresh food we enjoyed are fresh in my memory. The walks for miles and miles amid the green and beautiful scenery was enjoyable despite the steep hills.
The beauty and freshness could still be seen and felt when I visited Gammaduwa again on January 13 although multiple landslides had devastated the village. Gammaduwa had also received the highest rainfall of 540mm in the country between November 27 and 28.
The Gammaduwa Grama Niladari division is situated in the Ambanganga Korale Divisional Secretariat area in the Matale district in the Central Province. Gammaduwa has about 500 families with more than 1,000 people living in about seven villagers. All of them have been displaced since November 27.
The road
Gammaduwa has only one motorable access road and it has become more difficult and dangerous after the cyclone. I learnt that this road stretched about 6 km beyond the Gammaduwa village centre to distant villages such as Nagala and Inguruwatte. At a certain point I had to get down from the three-wheeler I had taken and walk towards the village centre as the road had disappeared amid the landslides. It was not an easy walk on mud and unstable soil but I saw several people walking, some with heavy items like gas cylinders and sacks. These were displaced villagers going to check on status of their houses, household items and animals left behind.
As the landslides hit, villagers escaped Gammaduwa by walking long distances, braving heavy rain and broken roads. Some walked through forests and some were rescued by helicopters as the only road was washed away. But they were compelled to leave behind at least one lorry, several three-wheelers and other vehicles, valuable household items and animals. They are still unable to remove these as the road has not been repaired. The lack of household items is affecting their efforts to live a life with dignity during their displacement whether in a camp, in relatives’ and friends’ houses or in rented houses. The inability to remove the vehicles is affecting their mobility and livelihoods. The displaced are unable to visit the land they have been cultivating due to the non-repairing of the road. The road not being repaired has made it difficult for villagers to visit their houses, shops and animals they had left behind. This is increasing their stress due to robberies and killing of animals for meat by others in the absence of villagers.
Immediate relief for displaced
When I visited on January 13 about 126 people, including 43 children and six elders above 70 years, were in a camp for internally displaced at a Buddhist temple in Pussella. Those who were in other camps had gone to live in rented houses or with relatives and friends. The Buddhist monk at the temple mobilised support like food, clothing and other essential items. But the religious services at the temple had been disrupted due to presence of the large number of displaced people. It would unfair to expect the temple to host the displaced for any longer but it didn’t appear that state officials were looking for viable alternatives.
The president announced ambitious relief measures, both immediate and long term, but these have not reached Gammaduwa. No one living on rent that I spoke to had received the monthly rent allowance of Rs. 25,000 per month for six months that had been promised. Only one of the many I spoke to had received emergency assistance of Rs. 25,000 for cleaning and Rs. 50,000 for purchasing essential items destroyed, damaged or lost.
Many people had been working on estates, engaged in cultivation, rearing animals, running small shops or three-wheeler taxi services and these livelihoods have been disrupted after the cyclone. But no one I spoke to had received allowance of Rs. 25,000 to Rs. 50,000 for up to three months for those who were unable to continue livelihoods. No one I spoke to had received the one time payments of Rs. 150,000 to Rs. 200,000 to compensate for damages to cultivation, livestock or micro enterprises.
No parents I met had received the Rs. 15,000 per child offered to disaster affected children to purchase books and clothing. The alternatives offered to children after the shutting down of the two schools in the village were haphazard. Some children were admitted to schools in nearby villages but no arrangements have been made for others to be admitted to schools.
Buildings
The 99 year-old Gammaduwa Tamil Maha Vidyalaya had been central feature of the village; it was damaged and it’s unlikely it could be used again in its present location. The school appeared close to the hearts of several past pupils and they had been planning a major celebration for the school’s 100th year anniversary in 2026.
Many houses, including basic line rooms, have been totally destroyed or damaged. Some people still had water and mud inside their houses when I visited. Some families were told by the Grama Niladari that their houses were unsafe to resettle. Others were told to resettle in their houses on condition that they were alert when there was rain more than 50 mm and to evacuate if there was more than 150 mm of rain. But no one knew how to measure the rain or where to go if they had to evacuate again. This dire warning in the aftermath of their traumatic experience has made them fearful and no one appears keen to go back to their houses. One said the house just above and just below his house has been demarcated as a land slide prone area and unsafe to live; he asked how could he live in peace in the middle.
Short term needs
The immediate need articulated by almost everyone I talked with was the temporary restoration of the main access road.
Rent allowance for six months should be immediately provided for those who have rented and will be renting in future such as those living with relatives and friends and those who maybe leaving the camp soon. I also heard that the rent had increased in the area and many rent owners demanded about six months rent money in advance. It’s also not easy to find places to rent in areas close to Gammaduwa. Other immediate relief for cleaning up, purchase of utensils, education and livelihoods that will ease the sufferings should also be provided soon.
If longer term, durable solutions will take more than six months, rent allowance should be increased beyond six months and option of transitional housing should be considered in consultation with affected communities.
Longer term, permanent solutions
Gammaduwa villagers that I spoke to were attached to their village. Some said the Malaiyaha community had resided there for around 200 years. Many had lived all their lives in Gammaduwa. The general feeling was that the whole village should be relocated. People emphasised they wouldn’t want the historical village of Gammaduwa to be closed and different households sent to different places, which will tear apart the social, cultural, religious and economic fabric of the village. They also did not want the 99 year-old school, the Hindu temples and other significant structures to be relocated to a new place with houses. They identified areas such as Ranmuthugala and Hapugaspitiya in the same Divisional Secretariat area as state owned land that might be suitable for permanent housing and relocation of the village. The villagers believe this will be easier and cheaper for the government.
Expectations and hopes
I wondered why the road has not been done, especially as I heard that the road leading to some transmission towers and a military camp in Gammaduwa is already being repaired. I also wondered why relief has not been distributed and why the government is not delivering the promised immediate relief and there are no formal consultations with affected communities about long term durable solutions. I wondered if the three private companies with presence in the area were opposed to the village being relocated and villagers coming to work from their own houses and lands nearby as they may not have the same control over workers who live in the terrible line rooms on estate properties.
Despite their desperation and frustrations, some villagers mentioned the challenges for the Grama Niladari, who is relatively new and has to cover a vast area with no road access to some parts including residential areas. They said that a temporary person to assist the Grama Niladari might help expedite relief, resettlement and other arrangements. Some community leaders met a secretary to the President and handed over a petition highlighting key concerns with about 1,000 signatures. The villagers said he appeared to welcome their suggestions and are hopeful their concerns and needs will be addressed soon.
The situation Gammaduwa is similar to several other cyclone affected areas I visited around Kandy and Nuwara Eliya. Many are awaiting formal written notifications whether it’s safe to move back to areas they lived before and alternatives if they are unable to move back. The immediate and long term relief measures announced by the president should not be limited to rhetorical words and government circulars but should be implemented across the board, including in remote areas like Gammaduwa in consultation with those affected.
