OCHA Situation Report
Sri Lanka
23 - 29 September 2005


Source: UN Office for the Coordination of Humanitarian Affairs

Overall Situation

A "National Workshop on the Care and Maintenance of Transitional Shelter 
Sites," was held 23 September under the auspices of the Sri Lankan 
Government's Transitional Accommodation Project (TAP) and the United 
Nations and facilitated by the UN Office for Coordination of 
Humanitarian Affairs (OCHA). The objective of the workshop was to enable 
the 100-plus participants, who included representatives from government 
ministries, UN agencies, NGOs and other organizations, as well as some 
people currently living in transitional shelter sites, to explore the 
best methods to care for and maintain the transitional shelters. 
Currently 52,383 transitional shelters, housing some 250,000 
tsunami-displaced people, have been constructed since February on 492 
sites. A total of 55,000 such shelters are expected to be completed by 
the end of September. The need for care and maintenance of such shelters 
has become increasingly important given the on-set of the monsoons in 
October and that permanent housing for all these displaced people is not 
expected to be completed sooner than a year-and a-half from now if not 
longer.

The U.S. Trade and Development Agency (USTDA) have awarded US$ 360,000 
in grant funds to WorldWater and Power Corporation to support a pilot 
project for water supply in Sri Lanka. The project is designed to assess 
solar technology methods to provide safe, sustainable water supplies to 
people in six tsunami-affected villages in the south. Subject to 
satisfactory results of WorldWater's ground water assessment study, 
WorldWater anticipates the award of the full contract of US$ 1.1 million 
with the Ministry of Urban Development and Water Supply to pump and 
deliver water to 13,677 people in approximately 3,000 households in the 
six villages through use of its AquaMax solar water pumping system.

Main challenges and response

A shortage of latrines exists in the Komari and Kalapukatu settlements 
in Potuvil Division. Komari 1 camp has 42 toilets while it needs; based 
on its population, a total of 93 and Komari 2 camp has 43 latrines while 
it needs a total of 122 toilets. The requirement target is based on 
government guidelines that indicate that one toilet should not be used 
by more than 15 people. The Kalapuktu settlement, which has 140 
families, has not yet been provided with sanitation and UNICEF is 
reportedly taking action on this.

Coordination and common services

IOM's shelter programme is now placing increased emphasis on care and 
maintenance of transitional housing sites. In this regard, IOM provides 
management services for tsunami survivors at over 30 emergency camps and 
transitional housing sites in seven districts. This includes ensuring 
adequate water supplies, drainage systems, garbage disposal and other 
services.

Twelve technicians will be working in TAP offices in Colombo, Kalutara, 
Galle, Hambantota, Ampara, Batticaloa and Trincomalee as part of TAP's 
upgrading and camp care and maintenance programme. They will help assess 
needs and improve conditions at transitional housing sites. The 
technicians are being funded by IOM. In addition, TAP is in the process 
of appointing site monitors to work in transitional settlements with 
more than 100 houses. IOM has agreed to fund and support the estimated 
125 site monitors needed for the project.

On 9 September, IOM signed a Memorandum of Understanding (MOU) with the 
Presidential Secretariat to officially launch a project to register the 
approximately one million Sri Lankans affected by the tsunami. The 
project will track assistance delivered to devastated communities and 
manage all associated information. With funding from ECHO, IOM will 
provide financial and technical support to establish a national database 
centre to be located at the Presidential Secretariat, and standardized, 
computerized information management centres (IMCs) in 13 districts. In 
addition, IOM will provide training for government officials and all 
associated personnel in conducting surveys, collecting and entering 
information, and maintenance of the database and IMCs.

Health

The Consortium of Humanitarian Agencies (CHA), with UNICEF support, is 
finalizing "Guidelines for Good Practices in Psycho-social Work in Sri 
Lanka." The draft guidelines are available at CHA in Sinhala, Tamil and 
English.

The IOM counter trafficking programme is currently supporting 
psycho-social training activities in eight tsunami-affected districts. 
>From 5 to 9 September, IOM led five one-day mental health and 
psycho-social awareness workshops for SewaLanka, local IOM field staff 
and others in Mannar district. The workshops, which were conducted by an 
IOM international mental health nurse and a community health 
surveillance officer, raised awareness among NGO psycho-social staff and 
public health workers on mental health issues, child psycho-social 
development, coping skills, basic human needs and substance abuse. A 
total of 138 people participated in the workshops including local 
hospital staff and other public health workers as well as psycho-social 
and health volunteers from various NGOs from Vavuniya and Mannar 
districts.

The mobile telephone company Celltel and its parent company Millicom 
have allocated Rs 180 million towards tsunami recovery and 
reconstruction with funds going to the Heath Ministry's efforts towards 
rebuilding the destroyed Grama Medical Centres from Panadura to Jaffna 
and in the Southern and Eastern parts of the country.

In Mullaitivu, the DPDHS (Deputy Provincial Director of Health Service) 
has distributed 1,500 children's hygiene kits provided by UNICEF for 
pregnant mothers and children under five-years old. One thousand adult 
hygiene kits and 750 jerry cans were distributed to families in transit 
camps. In addition, 5,917 hygiene education posters were distributed to 
DPDHS. In Kilinochchi, the DPDHS distributed UNICEF hygiene kits to 15 
schools.

A nutritional survey was carried out by IOM in emergency camps and 
transitional settlements it supports in Ampara district. The survey 
covered 209 children under five years of age. The children were weighed 
and measured to identify any nutritional problems. The majority of the 
data fell within the normal range identified for Sri Lanka. In 
Batticaloa district on 10 September, IOM held a health education 
workshop at the Onthachimadam transitional housing site constructed by 
IOM for 282 families in Kaluwanchikudy DS division. The workshop 
included training and interactive discussions on issues relating to 
hygiene and physical and mental health. On 6 September in Trincomalee 
district, IOM, in coordination with the Department of Health, organized 
a day-long nutritional deficiency awareness and eradication programme at 
a transitional housing site built by IOM for 161 families in Kallady. 
The programme was run by an IOM community health surveillance officer 
and other IOM staff together with a medical doctor, two public health 
inspectors, six public health midwives, and two representatives from the 
Association of Medical Doctors of Asia (AMDA) and nine health 
volunteers. The programme covered 91 children under the age of five and 
68 mothers, as well as 76 young school children living at the site. 
Activities included; nutritional assessments, distribution of vitamin 
supplements, hygiene promotion, dental hygiene and distribution of basic 
hygiene kits, demonstrations on how to prepare supplementary food items 
such as corn Soya, distribution of thiriposa and corn soya supplements 
to mothers of young children and basic health checks for school 
children, including delousing. A separate "baby clinic" weighed, 
provided growth charts and immunization for children under five. In 
addition, all beneficiaries were given de-worming medication.

In Trincomalee, an anti-malaria campaign and vector surveillance was 
recently conducted by by health officials in Kinniya and Trincomalee 
town. Four malaria cases have been reported from Kinniya. UNICEF 
distributed 1,000 insecticide treated nets in Kinniya. Furthermore, a 
dengue fever awareness programme is being conducted by 100 community 
volunteers trained by the Ministry of Health, every Saturday in 
Trincomalee. Public warning messages are being issued to prevent an 
outbreak of dengue fever.

Water and sanitation

On 9 September, IOM signed a US$ 500,000 agreement with World Vision 
(WV) to fund IOM activities to improve vital water and sanitation 
services for transitional settlements in Ampara and Kalutara districts. 
Activities include construction and cleaning of wells, waste disposal, 
provision of water and sanitation systems, and ensuring adequate 
drainage systems. In addition, the project includes components to help 
educate people about healthy hygiene habits and training for residents 
to maintain water and sanitation systems in their communities.

On 14 September, 50 per cent of UNICEF's project budget for constructing 
water and sanitation facilities amounting to US$ 107,715 was released to 
the Jaffna GA for the construction of water and sanitation facilities 
for IDPs, including the construction of 300 toilets and 20 community 
wells. In Jaffna, 25 per cent of construction activities on nine 
temporary schools, including the construction of nine wells, nine toilet 
blocks (totaling 45 toilets) and 10 urinal blocks (totaling 60 urinals) 
is complete.

In Galle district, UNICEF is constructing ten toilets and bath areas at 
the Weligama Senanayaka transitional shelter, and in Ampara, UNICEF is 
constructing water and sanitation facilities to complement UNHCR 
transitional shelters. UNICEF in coordination with DPDHS Kalmunai has 
selected eight implementing partners to construct 1,700 toilets in the 
transitional shelters. To date, 90 toilets have been completed and 288 
toilets are currently being constructed. UNICEF has taken steps to 
accelerate the construction of toilets, including strengthening the 
UNICEF water and sanitation team (currently three officers) to monitor 
progress and provide weekly updates. Toilet construction in Ampara is 
expected to be completed before the monsoon in November.

Non-food items and shelter

In early September, TAP asked IOM to provide kerosene lanterns for 
transitional houses located in areas with no connection to the national 
electricity grid. IOM is currently procuring 12,000 lanterns, while 
another 6,000 will be provided by UNICEF.

The Humanitarian Information Centre (HIC) is nearing completion of an 
extensive mapping exercise at the request of TAP and UNHCR, in Ampara 
district to identify those shelters that need upgrading or improvements 
in drainage, water and sanitation and other infrastructure. Some 60 per 
cent of shelters in Ampara are situated on low-land. The exercise is a 
part of a broader exercise that will occur in tsunami districts to 
identify and respond to substandard conditions in transitional shelters 
before the onset of the monsoon. (See HIC website- 
www.humanitarianinfo.org/srilanka for Ampara and other district mapping)

IOM reports that as of mid-September with funding from Japan, ECHO and 
Greece, it has provided transitional housing for 3,766 tsunami-affected 
families. In the first weeks of September, 325 transitional houses were 
completed. An additional 518 are currently in various stages of 
construction.

Education

The Ministry of Education with UNICEF support has set up a Technical 
Advisory Committee to provide the technical inputs for material 
development so as to ensure a uniform and standardized approach to 
mainstreaming psycho-social interventions in the education system. The 
Ministry of Education presented its "National Plan to Mainstream 
Psycho-social Well-being through the Education System" to agencies that 
are currently working with or planning to work with teachers and or 
children in the school system.

In Trincomalee, a two day child participation workshop involving the 
active participation of 25 children and five adults was recently held in 
a Child Friendly School in Sampalthivu. The children brainstormed ways 
to increase their participation in the community, such as establishing 
children's committees from the community temple committees. The workshop 
was the first of a series of workshops, which aims to promote the 
concept of child participation in Child Friendly Schools and 
tsunami-affected villages, in order to ensure that children are involved 
in creating their own child friendly places in transitional and 
permanent camps, as well as schools. The project is being jointly 
implemented by the children's clubs established under the UNICEF 
supported psycho-social programme and the child friendly school 
programme.

Livelihoods

In the first half of September, IOM began direct livelihood projects 
with 151 people. Activities included help for 17 mobile vendors to 
restart their businesses in Ampara district. In Trincomalee district, 
IOM assisted 14 cattle rearers and nine goat rearers. Livestock 
distribution is undertaken with the assistance of the department of 
Animal Production and Health (APH), which examines all animals and 
provides health clearance. The APH will also provide training in animal 
husbandry for the beneficiaries.

In Trincomalee, IOM worked in collaboration with the organisation Multi 
Ethnic Community Development to launch a project to provide 41 
tsunami-affected farmers with bullocks and bullock carts. In Batticaloa 
district, IOM began a project with the Beacon of the East Social Service 
Organization (BESSO) to support 100 beneficiaries engaged in 
goat-farming. The project includes distribution of livestock, training 
in goat husbandry, as well as training in business management.

UNDP recently handed over a consignment of motor bicycles, milk cans and 
a trailer to the Livestock Breeders Cooperative Society (LIBCOS) in 
Vavuniya with a view to strengthening and providing stability to the 
local communities, while facilitating sustainable economic recovery and 
development within the district. The equipment and vehicles supplied 
will be used to improve market opportunities for milk and establish a 
network among communities to improve milk production.

In Ampara district, IOM partnered with the Pottuvil Dairy Co-operative 
Society and Janasaviya Agricultural Dairy Society to launch a project to 
support the 330 members of the cooperatives. The project includes 
provision of superior buffalos and cattle to improve the local cattle 
gene pool, various equipment, and training in cattle rearing and 
breeding techniques.

In Matara, IOM has started a project with the Social Economic and 
Environmental Development Organization (SEEDO) to provide 150 youths 
with vocational training in plumbing, electrical wiring, tile laying and 
other related professions. Through the project, the participants are 
also provided with toolkits and assisted in finding job-placements. In 
addition, the project is supporting 100 widows to establish home-based 
businesses in areas such as curd making, fresh fish frying, and sale of 
roasted nuts. Beneficiaries are provided with raw materials, 
entrepreneurship training, and English language training for business 
operators in tourist areas.

Protection

In an update on unaccompanied and separated children, UNICEF reports 
that 12 children lost both parents and are not with any other family 
member; 966 children who lost both parents are currently with living 
other family members; and 3,931 children lost one parent. It should also 
be noted that the number of unaccompanied children has continued to 
decline, due to the successful location and reunification of children 
with extended family members. Such children are henceforth considered to 
be separated children and thus the number of separated children has 
continued to increase. 6,504 separated, unaccompanied and single-parent 
children have received follow-up visits from social workers.

On 20 September, IOM, in collaboration with the Asian Disaster 
Preparedness Centre (ADPC), organized a consultative meeting on 
community-level disaster preparedness and public awareness. Participants 
from the Government of Sri Lanka, NGOs, and UNDP shared experiences in 
implementing disaster risk management programmes in Sri Lanka, and 
identified recommendations for future local-level disaster preparedness 
and public awareness.

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