UK aid 'left legacy' after 2004 tsunami in Asia

The tsunami left Aceh completely devastated

British aid agencies working in the wake of the 2004 Asian tsunami "left a legacy that is more than just bricks and mortar", according to a report.

However, Disasters Emergency Committee (DEC) members were at times poorly co-ordinated and lacked expertise, leading to costly mistakes, it said.

Development construction expert Arup's independent report said agencies "got the important things right" in the end.

The DEC said UK donors could be proud of what was achieved.

The DEC is made up of 13 agencies providing humanitarian aid, including Action Aid, the British Red Cross, Oxfam and Save the Children.

Chief executive Brendan Gormley said agencies had faced "an incredible challenge".

"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," he said.

DEC member agencies engaged with beneficiaries and local partners in a way which built trust, ownership and responsibility Arup report

"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."

More than 220,000 people in 14 countries were killed when the tsunami hit on 26 December 2004 and people across South East Asia have been marking the anniversary.

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

The disaster saw "unprecedented devastation", with 167,000 people in Aceh reported dead or missing, more than 500,000 displaced and about 800km (500 miles) of coastline destroyed, it said.

Of the £382m raised by the DEC, 42% was spent in Aceh, where agencies constructed more than 13,700 houses, 55 schools and 68 health centres.

'Media focus'

The report said: "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" to enable buildings to withstand future natural disasters.

The report added: "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."

The generosity of the British public helped rebuild thousands of homes, schools and health facilities. International Development Secretary Douglas Alexander

Lead author Jo da Silva, who heads Arup's International Development Group, said: "Roads, bridges and ports were destroyed and one third of the local people and professionals who could have helped with reconstruction were killed."

She said it would be unrealistic to expect agencies facing an "extremely steep learning curve", with little experience of construction on this scale, to get things 100% right first time.

"They learnt as they went but importantly when something went wrong they didn't walk away and leave people in the lurch," she added.

The report said that instead of building houses immediately the agencies would have been better off training local people in construction and establishing manufacturing plants.

Agencies also lacked staff with construction management skills which led to costly mistakes and extensive delays.

The report emphasised the need for better co-ordination between the agencies.

Douglas Alexander, Secretary of State for International Development, said the report showed the UK public's support brought a "vital lifeline" to communities across the Indian Ocean.

"The generosity of the British public, backed by the UK government's support, has helped to clear the damaged areas and rebuild thousands of homes, schools and health facilities.

"Our assistance has also helped people restart their lives by rehabilitating land for farming and constructing vital roads and ports."

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