Sri Lanka: Over 1.2 million affected as rains return to battered East

Wed, 9 Feb 2011 04:54 GMT

Source: member // World Vision - Asia Pacific

Muthur school in Trincomalee district is completely under water

Heavy rains have lashed the North Central and Eastern provinces of Sri Lanka for a second time in two weeks, affecting over 1.2 million people. Access to the affected areas remains a major challenge with most roads damaged and many regions still completely submerged.

An added problem is that major irrigation tanks have reached spill level, forcing authorities to open sluice gates sending huge swathes of water into the already flooded areas.

“The situation is very grave as the floods have caused widespread destruction of infrastructure and livelihoods and some families have lost all their possessions – house, furniture, cattle and crops,” said Suresh Bartlett, World Vision Lanka’s National Director.

“We are appealing for USD 1 million to support the emergency relief and recovery programme in the affected areas,” said Bartlett.

Infrastructural damage is widespread and power supply has been cut off. More than 500 irrigation tanks and anicuts have been damaged and nearly 400,000 acres of paddy cultivation destroyed along with thousands of acres of other crops. An estimated 75,000 wells are contaminated leaving more than 50,000 families without safe water for drinking and cooking.

In the first two weeks of January unprecedented rainfall and floods had displaced thousands of families and these communities had just begun moving back to their homes when the rains returned with more ferocity, wreaking havoc once again.

More than 250,000 families need shelter and non-food relief items. Basic items such as clothing, bedding, anti-mosquito equipment, light sources and cooking equipment are urgently needed by the displaced.

There is also an urgent need for health and nutritional support, especially for pregnant and nursing mothers and children under five, mobile clinics and dissemination of hygiene information to mitigate the spread of waterborne disease.

Over 300,000 children are unable to continue their schooling. School equipment such as furniture and science labs will have to be either repaired or replaced. In addition, students have lost their education materials including recently issued uniforms, text books and learning materials.

World Vision responded immediately in the North Central and Eastern provinces, providing packets of cooked food, dry rations and emergency relief packs to over 15,000 people.

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