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Batticaloa village in struggle to rise from tsunami grave
Sixteen years after the Navalladdy beach front in the Batticaloa city limit was wiped off the map by the devastating Boxing Day tsunami, life is still not the same as it was.
Over a thousand houses were completely destroyed and five times that badly damaged. As many as 1,452 lost their lives that fateful day, nearly a thousand injured and 630 remain unaccounted for from the Manmunai North division where the village is situated. Most of the victims had come to Navallady from other areas in the district to take part in religious services at the Hindu temple and the Church on the beach.
Today, the coastal village has been rebuild 300 metres from its original location and several residents who survived have been relocated at Thatimadu, five km away.
Many other villagers, largely fishermen and carpenters have returned but are embroiled in land disputes and claims over ownership of property. As a result, some of the damaged houses remain as a stark reminder of that fateful morning of December 26, 2004.
Seventeen Grama Sevaka (GS) divisions were affected in the Batticaloa district due to facing the full brunt of the tsunami that erupted off Indonesia’s Aceh province following a massive earthquake. The Batticaloa district’s total death toll was a staggering 2,836 and more than a thousand are still unaccounted for making it one of the worst affected districts.
Manmunai North Divisional Secretary V. Vasudevan told the Sunday Times the more enterprising of the original residents who have returned to Navalladdy have rented out their newly built houses to low budget tourists who come to the east coast in search of sun, sea and surf.