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Housing shortage is a global phenomenon, the problem being most acute in the developing nations like India and particularly in poorer provinces like Orissa, a province between the parallels of 17o49'N and 22o34'N latitudes and meridians of 81o27'E and 87o29'E longitudes in the eastern coast of the Republic of India. The geographical area of the province extends over an area of 155,707 square kms with a coast line of about 450 kms, accounting for about 4.87% of the total country’s landmass. The total population of the province is 36.81 million people (2001 census), which is 3.58% of the country’s total population. The province comprises of 30 Districts, 6234 Gram Panchayats and 51,349 Villages. In Orissa 85.03% of the population (source: Directorate of Economics and Statistics) live in villages and about 47.15% of them are BPL (Below Poverty Line) – the highest in the country.

Of the total Rural Housing Stock of 6,782,879 dwelling units in the province of Orissa, 10.3% are in dilapidated condition and as high as 67.5%barely in livable condition. (Source: Census of India, 2001). Further shortage is anticipated due to trends observed in growth of population. The poor either do not have a dwelling unit or live in an unserviceable kutcha house. Reflecting on the structural condition of these houses, about 70% of the houses have mud floor, nearly 50% houses have grass, thatch, bamboo, wood, mud etc. for roofing, similarly 55% of walls are of mud and unburnt bricks.

The state is multi-hazard prone requiring drought-proofing mitigation in the western parts while the eastern delta region is subjected to periodic floods and cyclones. This makes the rural population living in kutcha houses highly vulnerable to natural calamities. The supercyclone of October 1999 and the floods of July 2001 had aggravated the shortage of housing stock in Orissa to an all time high. Two million houses were damaged after the super-cyclone while 275 thousand houses were affected by the flash floods. This widened the housing gap to more than 60% of the total number of households. The Govt. of India had initiated to rehabilitate six hundred thousand homeless under IAY Rural Housing scheme allotting a grant of INR 22,000 to each of the BPL families. This amount however, was not sufficient for any family living in the remotest villages of coastal Orissa to complete the construction of a one-roomed pucca (brick and concrete) dwelling unit. The Panchayati Raj Department, Govt. of Orissa promoting rural housing development surveyed that only two hundred thousand houses could be completed. In an assessment conducted by the Panchayati Raj Department, Govt. of Orissa technically facilitated by this team, the findings regarding the poor progress in reconstruction works included the following in order of importance.

• Acute poverty faced by these IAY beneficiaries has been hindering the process of construction of houses. In the post- supercyclone and floods of July 2001, part of the funds from IAY grant got diverted towards livelihood options.
• Many of the local masons involved are unskilled and have little or no knowledge about good construction practices. Much of the funds, due to ignorance, are used up for the foundations of the house with hardly resources left for the superstructure.
• . Many of the beneficiaries have initiated construction of more than a one roomed house whereas the allotment was insufficient even for one room.
• The prices of building materials and their transportation have escalated in the post-supercyclone period.
• There has been involvement of beneficiary in the construction of his/her own house.
• All beneficiaries are eager to complete their house constructions and dwell under a safe roof.

In the pandemonium that ensued after the calamity with various actors from Govt. to NGOs to individuals participating in the reconstruction process, there was imposition of different housing styles involving alien building materials and technologies. With agricultural land rendered saline, the agriculture labourers who were in the majority, lost their livelihoods. Each person now picked up the trade of masonry overnight, labelling himself as a Mason. At this critical stage the momentum gathered, to carry forward a movement which is the project context.

This Movement “Promotion of Appropriate Housing Technologies and Opportunities for Sustainable Livelihoods in Orissa” championed by the UNVs/ DTs commenced from January 2001, initially focusing on the four coastal districts worst affected in the supercyclone to empower local communities with adequate technical know-how to build their houses within the budgets and structurally in a manner so that the risks are not rebuilt. Later the movement spread its wings gradually over a period of six years to cover presently sixteen districts of the province as well as many other provinces in the country.

The project was initiated by United Nations, India represented by United Nations Development Programme (UNDP) in collaboration with Swiss Agency for Development and Cooperation (SDC) and the Government of Orissa, India.

The primary aim of this Movement is towards building and operationalizing a self supporting institutional setup running in entrepreneurship mode at various tiers from grassroots to province level dedicated towards integrating affordable habitat, livelihoods and disaster mitigation through optimal use of locally available resources and indigenous knowledge in an equitable manner. This has gained more importance and relevance since the Govt. of India has committed to provide shelter to all – this of course does not mean that Govt. will be providing a readymade house to all but will be a facilitator. The Corporate Social Responsibility is presently focusing on this province, since it has the highest BPL households in the country. In this context the role of ODTF and similar agencies and their intervention is being welcomed by all.