Sri Lanka: water and sanitation critically needed for country’s war-affected

Updated - Friday 29 May 2009

The end of Sri Lanka's long civil war has left nearly 290,000 internally displayed persons (IDPs) stranded in camps in Vanni district, northern Sri Lanka, who are in dire need of food, water, sanitation and medical attention. Christian Aid predicts an imminent disease outbreak “if the government does not tackle the problem of overcrowding and sanitation”. There are currently 30 people living in tents designed for five people, said Robin Greenwood, director of Christian Aid's Asia programme.

When the first wave of nearly 120,000 people fled the conflict zone in April 2009 emergency trench toilets were set up immediately. There was a struggle to bring in enough water, particularly as the dry season was approaching. The UNICEF-led WASH cluster is coordinating activities in the camps. In the Menik Farm camp in Vavuniya, 260 volunteers have been selected from within the IDP community to work as hygiene promoters and hygiene promotion activities have started. The National Water Supply and Drainage Board (NWS&DB) announced that the 'Malvathu Oya' water supply project, serving camps in Vavuniya, would be operational from 29 May 2009. So far 55 per cent of the required US$ 12.3 million (€ 8.9 million) earmarked for WASH in the Sri Lanka Common Humanitarian Action Plan (CHAP) Appeal 2009, has been covered.

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Contact: Leslie Morris-Iveson, UNICEF-Colombo, Sri Lanka, lmorris@unicef.org

Source: Christian Aid, 27 May 2009 ; Vanni Emergency OCHA Situation Report No. 17, OCHA / Reliefweb, 25 May 2009 ; Sri Lanka Common Humanitarian Action Plan 2009, OCHA, 29 May 2009

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