Joint Humanitarian Update NORTH EAST | SRI LANKA JAFFNA, KILINOCHCHI, MULLAITIVU, MANNAR, VAVUNIYA and TRINCOMALEE DISTRICTS Report # 17 | 2 - 15 January 2010 Displacement after April 2008 - IDP situation as reported by the Government Agents as of 15 January 2010 IDPs During the period 1 April 2008 to 15 January 2010 Vavuniya Camps: 100,5661 106,123 people are accommodated in temporary camps. Mannar Camps: 1,9502 Jaffna Camps: 3,6073 RELEASES & RETURNS 28,973 people have been released from temporary camps into Releases: host families and elders’ homes as of 14 January 2010. The majority of these people are elders, people with disabilities and other vulnerable groups. Returns to places of origin: 158,562 have been returned to Jaffna, Vavuniya, Mannar, Trincomalee, Batticaloa, Mullaitivu, Kilinochchi, Ampara, Kandy and Polonnaruwa districts between 05 August and 15 January 2010. 1 Source: Government Agent Vavuniya 2 Source: Government Agent Mannar. 3 Source: Government Agent Jaffna 1 United Nations Office of the Resident Coordinator and Humanitarian Coordinator Sri Lanka | Joint Humanitarian Update | 2009 | Web site: http://www.hpsl.lk Joint Humanitarian Update NORTH EAST | SRI LANKA I. Situation Overview & highlights Jaffna District: • On 6 January, Chairman of the Presidential Task Force on Resettlement, Development and Security in the Northern Province (PTF) and Senior Presidential Advisor Basil Rajapaksa visited Jaffna District to officially release a 300m portion of the Palaly High Security Zone (HSZ) buffer zone for resettlement. Mr. Rajapaksa was accompanied by Minister for Social Services and Social Welfare Douglas Devananda, Governor of the Northern Province Maj. Gen. G. A. Chandrasri and Jaffna Security Forces Commander Maj. General Mark. Also, Mr. Rajapaksa announced that as of 6 January the A9 highway would be open 24 hours. • On 10 January, President Mahinda Rajapaksa visited Jaffna on the final leg of a campaign tour of the North and East, which included stopovers in Mannar and Vavuniya the previous day. At a public meeting in Jaffna town, President Rajapaksa highlighted the removal of travel restrictions upon the A9 road, adding that train services would soon be extended to connect the Jaffna peninsula to the mainland. He further said that restrictions on fishing off the coast of Jaffna have been lifted. He spoke of Government plans to develop the fisheries and agriculture sectors and education services in Jaffna. Furthermore, President Rajapaksa stated that an honourable and just solution would be found to the ethnic conflict and elections held in the near future to elect a Northern Provincial Council. • Military authorities have released the HSZs in Chavakachcheri DS Division, Eluthumadduval and Mirusuvil for resettlement. Many civilians were displaced from these areas in 2006 due to their proximity to the Forward Defence Lines (FDL). Kilinochchi District: • On 4 January, five schools in Karachchi Division were reopened for the first time after the war. The schools were Hindu College, St. Fathima Roman Catholic School, Kanagapuram Maha Vidyalaya, Hindu Junior School and St. Theresa School. The Governor of the Northern Province informed the media that free transportation facilities would be provided for teachers of these five schools to travel from Jaffna and Vavuniya Districts. Mannar District: • On 9 January, President Mahinda Rajapaksa, accompanied by the Ministers Rishard Bathiudeen, Douglas Devananda, Milroy Fernando and V. Puthrsigamani, Senior Presidential Advisor Basil Rajapaksa and the Northern Governor visited Mannar and participated in an election rally held at the Mannar Stadium. Vavuniya District: • On 9 January, the President visited Vavuniya and participated in an election rally at the Vavuniya Urban Council ground. He also visited Menik Farm for a ceremony reuniting 700 child combatants, who had undergone rehabilitation, with their families. • UNHCR estimates that approximately 100,000 IDPs are in Menik Farm on any given day, with 20- 30,000 IDPs on temporary passes outside the camp. With most I/NGO funding scheduled to end on 31 January, the continued provision of basic services to the camp has become an issue. • There is a reduction in number of cases of dengue and other priority communicable diseases in Vavuniya. 2 United Nations Office of the Resident Coordinator and Humanitarian Coordinator Sri Lanka | Joint Humanitarian Update | 2009 | Web site: http://www.hpsl.lk Joint Humanitarian Update NORTH EAST | SRI LANKA II. Sector Overview & highlights SHELTER / NFI Kilinochchi and Mullaitivu Districts: • A large percentage of the permanent housing in the return areas is severely or completely damaged. IOM has constructed 50 transitional shelters in Thunukkai Divisional Secretariat (DS) division (Mullaitivu District) and begun constructing 150 shelters in Poonakary DS division (Kilinochchi District). As IOM remains the only agency with access for shelter assistance to the return areas, it is necessary to prioritize the most vulnerable IDPs across the return districts and assist according to capacity. The Protection Working Group (PWG) in Vavuniya is currently defining a priority list of vulnerable beneficiaries. The local government authorities are currently carrying out assessments in this regard. Vavuniya District: • IOM continues to deliver A-frame shelter kits to the Assistant Government Agent offices for distribution in the return areas. At the moment, the Shelter sector has the tarpaulins, but not the timber or sufficient funding, required to complete the A-frame shelter kit. • The Government of Sri Lanka (GoSL) is accommodating some returnees in blue tents (donated by the Chinese Government) along the A9 road, as it is out of tin roof sheets for transitional shelters. The return process has been slowed down by humanitarian demining and the lack of tin roof sheets. • The sector has decided to distribute the remaining stock of tents by the end of January to the most vulnerable families in the return areas. • Agencies are testing whether painting the metal roof sheets white reduces the temperature inside the transitional shelters. • Three agencies have been authorized to provide assistance to IDPs living with host families in Vavuniya District. As of 11 January, 366 basic cadjan shelters have been constructed. • The national Shelter sector held the first of a series of Technical Working Group (TWG) meetings. The aim is to come up with national guidelines for transitional shelters that match the district agreements and the GoSL requirements. • Approximately 1,200 surrendees have been transferred to Site 6B in Menik Farm from Pampaimadu. Unconfirmed reports indicate that three blocks of Site 7 are also to be utilized for the same purpose shortly. The semi-permanent shelters in Zone 5, which have never been deployed, may be used to house ex-combatants as well. • Approximately 7,500 tents have been covered with polythene sheets. The GoSL blue tents have not been covered with polythene, but a tarpaulin has been provided per tent. No further maintenance is required before beginning of February. • A Shelter sector decision has been made to allow returning IDPs to take their shelters and tents with them. IOM has agreed to provide additional lorries. A letter has been sent to the Government Agent (GA) and Vanni Security Forces Headquarters (SFHQ) for their consent. Although no official reply has been received, the procedure has now started in Site 6A and is expected to be adopted in other zones. • The Vanni SFHQ is planning to close Tharmapuram by the end of January. The IDPs onsite will be transferred to Zone 1. A plan to transfer the remaining inhabitants of Zone 5 to Zone 3 is also under discussion. • The Competent Authority has been advised that, after Zone 0 and Zone 1, Zone 3 is the most preferred zone to keep open. The lifespan of the Zone 3 shelters is longer than that of the tents in the other zones. The water supply system is also better in Zone 3 than in other zones. A inter-sector prioritized closure plan of Menik Farm sites/zones will be made by next week. • Two agencies have funding for shelter maintenance until the end of February. Three agencies have funding for decommissioning until the end of February, and one agency has shelter tarpaulins for maintenance, but no capacity. A Shelter TWG meeting is scheduled for next week to discuss possible maintenance and an upgrade strategy for the remaining zones, following consolidation of the Menik Farm zones. This will allow interested agencies to seek additional funding. • Discussions are underway to clarify which agencies have the funding and mandate to continue activities in Menik Farm. 3 United Nations Office of the Resident Coordinator and Humanitarian Coordinator Sri Lanka | Joint Humanitarian Update | 2009 | Web site: http://www.hpsl.lk Joint Humanitarian Update NORTH EAST | SRI LANKA WASH Vavuniya District: • The river water intakes are now functioning normally. Turbidity levels are dropping but a number of the water treatment plants are still not functioning. • A water treatment plant has been relocated close to Zone 3 to provide a closer water source to the larger zones and ease bowsering requirements. • A significant number of bowsers stopped operation on 31 December. Some zones received less than 5 litres per person per day during the first five days of this month, due to bowsers not operating in the newly allocated zones. The situation has been resolved and is being carefully monitored. • Agencies are receiving a growing number of requests for water supply to military personnel and cadres. The National Water Supply and Drainage Board (NWSDB) bowsers are covering this need, and advocacy with the SLA is ongoing. • The NWSDB completed the water quality testing exercise for Menik Farm tube. Six out of 146 wells were confirmed to contain E. coli. The affected wells were recommended for bathing and washing purposes only. • Water quality is improving with a reduction in over-chlorination. • The sewage stabilisation ponds are now in use. • A total of 1,790 latrines have been decommissioned, with another 820 ready for decommissioning.