OCHA Situation Report
Sri Lanka
19 - 25 November 2005


Source: UN Office for the Coordination of Humanitarian Affairs

Overall Situation

Due to atmospheric disturbance in the Bay of Bengal producing 24 hours 
of non stop heavy rains over the island, sporadic floods occurred in 
various districts. The districts mainly affected include Colombo, 
Kalutara, Gampaha, Kurunegala, Trincomalee, Killinochchi, Mullaitivu and 
Jaffna, from the west, central and northern areas of the country. The 
floods killed six people and damaged thousands of homes, affecting many 
still in shelters after the tsunami. The National Disaster Management 
Centre says around 63,000 families were affected by the recent 
torrential rains and the government has allocated Rs. 6.9 million for 
emergency relief while the Sri Lankan Meteorology Department has 
forecast scattered showers are expected throughout the country till the 
end of the northwest monsoons in end November.

All districts had conducted coordinating and preliminary stock taking 
exercises with the collaborative relief mechanism taking off the ground 
immediately to mitigate the situation.

District Secretaries, UN agencies and NGO's are addressing the needs of 
people by arranging for alternative shelter and distributing NFIs. 
UNOCHA and partner organizations continue to monitor the situation 
closely and stand ready to provide local government officials support to 
deal with occurring flood emergency.

President Mahinda Rajapakse has appointed a 25-member Cabinet. 
Twenty-three non-Cabinet and 29 Deputy Ministers were also appointed. 
Prime Minister Ratnasiri Wickremanayake was sworn in as the Minister of 
Disaster Management, a subject which earlier came directly under the 
purview of the President. Meanwhile a Reconstruction and Development 
Authority is to be established immediately for the acceleration of 
reconstruction programmes in the country. The Cabinet Spokesman said 
that all State institutions set up after 1983 for reconstruction and 
development including TAFREN (Task Force for Rebuilding the Nation), 
THRU (Tsunami Housing Reconstruction Unit) etc will be brought under the 
new Authority.

Coordination and common services

At a ceremony held in Colombo on 15 November 2005, UNHCR formally handed 
over responsibilities for the tsunami transitional shelter sector to the 
Government of Sri Lanka. UNHCR has supported the Government and over 100 
implementing partners in the coordination and construction of over 
55,000 transitional shelters for those displaced by the tsunami.

Non-food items and shelter

The Divisional Lead Agency Permanent Housing Meetings for Pottuvil and 
Thirukkovil Divisions in the Ampara district scheduled for 23 and 24 
November respectively, were both cancelled as access to these areas were 
restricted due to imposed travel restrictions in the Akkaraipattu 
Divison. At the UN/INGO Meeting on 23 November, the GA announced that 
the Buffer Zone has been reduced down to 65 meters in Sainthamaruthu, 
Karativu and Ninthavur Divisions.

IOM has signed a Memorandum of Understanding with the Association for 
Aid and Relief (AAR) of Japan to build infrastructure and provide 
psycho-social support to a tsunami-affected community in the Galle 
district. AAR has already identified a site to build permanent houses 
for 30 families from Morahenpitigoda, a small tsunami-affected village 
in Habaraduwa DS division. It is working with a local partner, the Green 
Movement of Sri Lanka (GMSL), to develop plans for establishing a new 
community in the Imaduwa DS division.

Education

In the North, Save the Children is working in partnership with World 
University Services Canada (WUSC) to provide basic education for 
tsunami-affected youth in literacy together with vocational training.

Livelihoods

FAO and the Humanitarian Aid Department of the European Commission 
(ECHO) provided nutrition enhancing training to over 1,200 beneficiaries 
in the tsunami affected north and east.

The training, which is provided through the Department of Agriculture's 
extension services, will eventually reach close to 2,000 
tsunami-affected households in 57 different locations in 6 districts.

Save the Children has implemented programmes aimed at providing 
vocational training for youth. In the South, in partnership with the 
District Federation of Youth Clubs, over 100 young persons have been 
trained on cement block making, provided with equipment and raw 
materials to start business. Now blocks are being sold at a lower and 
affordable price to tsunami-affected communities to rebuild their 
houses. During this three year programme, a total of 1,100 young people 
will receive training on construction trades such as carpentry, masonry, 
plumbing, electrical wiring and welding, motor mechanism, electronics, 
aluminum fabrication, leather product manufacturing, fishing and marine 
technology, agriculture equipment and machinery repair. They will also 
receive on the job training. Tool kits will be given and credit 
facilities will also be provided for them to start self -- employment.

Protection

OCHA backstopped UNICEF as a facilitator at the District Psycho-Social 
Meeting on 24 November. It was reported during the meeting about a group 
of children who lost their major bread-winner to the tsunami, and who do 
not want to go to school as they now need to provide income for their 
families. Often the way of earning is related to selling alcohol which 
has also led to youth becoming alcohol abusers. Vocational training for 
youth was mentioned as one response to this situation. There were also 
reports of women in Komari who had engaged in prostitution. Save the 
Children mentioned the problem of school drop-outs who join the LTTE and 
stressed the importance of engaging youth in effective vocational 
training activities which can actually provide a livelihood and earning, 
after completion.

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