RELIVE: Upgrade Environmental Infrastructure by Restoring Livelihoods

Duration: January 2006 – June 2008

Client: Europe Aid Office of the European Commission

Project Partners: GTZ-ASEM, Adelphi Research , Germany , Centric Austria

Three Indian partners - the Advisory Services in Environmental Management (GTZ ASEM), the Academy of Gandhian Studies (AGS) and the Society for Rural Development (SRD) - and two European partners - Adelphi Research form Germany and CENTRIC Austria International (CAI) from Austria have developed RELIVE (Upgrade Environmental Infrastructure by Restoring Livelihoods) aiming at the development of a integrated and sustainable rehabilitation programme in Tsunami affected regions of South India. The project is being financed by the European Commission under the EU-Asia PRO ECO IIB Post Tsunami Programme .

The RELIVE project aims to renew lost or damaged assets for fishing and agriculture assets of tsunami-affected communities in the Indian states of Andhra Pradesh and Tamil Nadu. At the same time, basic environmental infrastructure, such as water, sanitation and energy supply, will be restored or upgraded by means of a fund system. The project follows an integrated approach, starting with a holistic baseline and needs assessment to identify present and future needs of the participating Indian communities. Based on this, RELIVE will procure lost or damaged assets for the participating households through a fund: instead of paying back money for the assets provided the participants repay their loan by contributing labour to construction, operation and maintenance of basic infrastructural services installed by the project. The target groups will be involved at each stage in decision-making and selection of technological options.