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Joint Humanitarian Update NORTH EAST | SRI LANKA JAFFNA, KILINOCHCHI, MULLAITIVU, MANNAR, VAVUNIYA and TRINCOMALEE DISTRICTS Report # 12 | 24 October – 6 November 2009 Displacement after April 2008 - IDP situation as reported by the Government Agents as of 7 November IDPs 164,383 persons are currently accommodated in camps and During the period 1 April 2008 hospitals. to 5 November 2009 Vavuniya Camps: 151,4271 Mannar Camps: 2,6302 162,399 people are accommodated in temporary camps. Jaffna Camps: 3,7573 Trincomalee Camps: 4,5854 1,9845 IDPs (injured and care givers) are in hospitals in various Hospitals: districts6 as of 28 August 2009. RELEASES, RETURNS & TRANSFERS 24,974 people have been released from temporary camps into Releases: host families and elders’ homes as of 5 November 2009. The majority of these people are elders, people with learning disabilities and other vulnerable groups. Returns to places of origin: 102,728 have been returned to Jaffna, Vavuniya, Mannar, Trincomalee, Batticaloa, Mullaitivu, Kilinochchi, Ampara, Kandy and Polonnaruwa Districts between 5 August and 7 November 2009. 1 Source: Government Agent Vavuniya 2 Source: Government Agent Mannar. 3 Source: Government Agent Jaffna 4 Source: Government Agent Trincomalee 5 Source: Ministry of Health 6 This includes GH Vavuniya, BH Cheddikulam, BH Poovarasankulum, Pampainmadu Hospital, DGH Mannar, BH Padaviya, GH Polonnaruwa, TH Kurunagala 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 • On 27 October, Minister of Resettlement and Disaster Relief Services Rishard Bathiudeen said demining in the entire Eastern Province and 118 Grama Niladari Divisions in the Northern Province had been completed, and the process in the remaining parts of the Northern Province accelerated. • On 28 October, a statement from the US Embassy welcomed the Sri Lankan Government’s announcement that it would facilitate the voluntary return of over 40,000 IDPs in the camps in the next few weeks. • On 29 October, the buses belonging to an IOM convoy carrying IDPs were involved in a collision. Reports state that 13 IDPs (4 children, 1 elderly person, 4 men and 4 women) suffered minor injuries. They were removed to the Military Hospital in Kilinochchi for treatment by IOM ambulances and subsequently rejoined the convoy. • On 31 October, a second batch of alleged former LTTE child combatants was sent from the Poonthottam camp in Vavuniya District to Colombo District. The 44 boys and 23 girls joined the previous 144 children from the camp now studying at the Hindu College, Colombo South. • On 5 November, the Kilinochchi and Mullaithivu Districts Government Agent (GA) Emelda Sukumar in a media interview said that resettlement began on 22 October in Mannar District in the Thunukkai and Manthai East areas, as well as west of the A9 road in the Oddusudan AG Division. She said that the resettlement of the Jayapuram, Poonahari, Molangavil and Nachchikuda areas of Kilinochchi District has also started. The GA stated that 25,000 IDPs will be resettled in these areas. She further said that returning IDPs will be accommodated in two transit sites for a week. According to the GA, people will be resettled in mine cleared areas with strict restrictions on civilian movements into the high risk mined areas. • On 4 November, Minister Bathiudeen said that around 20,000 Sinhalese and Muslims, who were evicted from Jaffna by the LTTE in 1990, have asked to be returned to the Peninsula. However, he said that priority would be given to complete the resettlement of IDPs currently staying in camps in Vavuniya District. • Voluntary returns of Sri Lankan refugees continued from the refugee camps in Tamil Nadu in India to their districts of origin in Sri Lanka. Their returns are coordinated with the Indian authorities, the Sri Lankan Deputy High Commissioner in Chennai and with UNHCR, which has been facilitating voluntary returns since the beginning of its operation in 1987. So far UNHCR has assisted 638 refugees to return this year. Sri Lankan refugees have also been returning without UNHCR facilitation. All refugee returnees are provided with assistance. • On 5 November, Parliament passed the Vote on Account for the next four-month period by 125 votes to 78. The Vote on Account was presented in place of a full-fledged budget, as the Government is preparing for a General Election next year. The highest allocation of the Vote on Account is made to the Defence Ministry, Sri Lanka Army, Sri Lanka Navy, Sri Lanka Air Force, Department of Police, Department of Civil Security and the Department of Coast Guard of Sri Lanka. 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 Overviews & highlights SHELTER / NFI Jaffna: • Shelter agencies continue to repair shelters in the new IDP sites, as well as in the old welfare centres Shelter and WASH agencies are conducting joint needs assessments, in coordination with the respective Divisional Secretaries. Joint needs assessments are being carried out in return areas in coordination with the respective Divisional Secretaries. • Distributions of NFI return kits continue to returnees arriving in Jaffna. The return kits include standard NFIs, hygiene items, tarpaulins and tools. • The implementation of the Shelter grant has commenced and standard operating procedures for the Jaffna District have been elaborated to facilitate the disbursement of the grant. Vavuniya: • It has been reported that some sites in Menik Farm will be converted to rehabilitation sites and, as a result, IDPs from Site 6B have been transferred to Site 6A. Similarly, some blocks within Zone 5 have been identified to be utilized as a collection centre for IDPs returning to districts of origin. • As a pilot project, some 100 leaking tents have been covered with polythene with positive results. It is expected that this solution will extend the life span of the tents by more than a month. There are, however, still gaps that need to be covered in the maintenance of tents. • All the school sites in Menik Farm (Thandikulam MV, Puthukulam MV, College of Education, Aruvithoddam Sivanantha MV, Adiyapuliyankulam MV, and Periyakomarasankulam MV) are either closed or will be closed within the coming week. The GA has authorised the decommissioning of shelter material in the sites. • As of 6 November, some 3,500 tents and shelters have already been decommissioned from all the zones. Mannar: • As of 7 November, over 1,500 Shelter grant forms have been completed for returnee families. Mobile banks are in operation to facilitate the disbursement of the Shelter grant. Standard Operating Procedures (SOPs) for the implementation of the Shelter grant have been finalized. WASH Vavuniya: • The intakes from the Malwathu Oya river are now operating as usual. However, the provision of bowsered drinking water to Zone 0 and Zone 1, at less than 10 litres per person per day, is still considerably lower than to the other zones. The National Water Supply and Drainage Board (NWSDB) is reallocating bowsers to address this issue. • Plans to improve pump and storage capacities as well as power supply at the various groundwater sources around the Menik Farm area are progressing well. A 50m3 per hour pump is now operating at one of the bowsering points. • Menik Farm shows generally improved levels of cleanliness and environmental sanitation. Teams from the Assistant Commissioner for Local Government (ACLG) office continue to monitor toilet facilities, while agencies make progress on toilet maintenance and pit replacement. However, the ACLG is experiencing a shortage of drivers, leading to the underutilization of a number of gully suckers. Shelters and toilets have been decommissioned on blocks vacated in preparation for upcoming monsoon. • A strike by the solid waste labourers in Zone 3, due to late payment, was averted. • Waste from Menik Farm is still being transferred to the existing waste site between Zones 3 and 4. Six interconnected ponds and a filter bed have been completed under emergency sewage remediation. The sewage stabilisation ponds have also been completed, except for minor earthworks. 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 Jaffna: • The WASH Sector has completed a technical assessment in Mankumpan, Puliyankudal, Naranthanai and Milinchimunai Grama Sevaka (GS) divisions in the Islands, where urgent WASH needs were identified for resettlement. On 9 November work will start to clean common wells and renovate toilets for common places first followed by individual family needs. • The NWS&DB has completed the water supply scheme for the Ramavil IDP camp. FOOD Vavuniya: • Agencies have found funds to continue complementary food distribution until the end of December 2009 at the Vavuniya GA’s request. NUTRITION Vavuniya: • The Sector has developed a strategy to continue to support IDP children enrolled in the Nutrition Rehabilitation Programme (NRP), who are returning to their places of origin. In order to prevent further deterioration of their nutritional status, agencies are ensuring that these children take with them a month’s provision of therapeutic/supplementary food to last until they are integrated into health services in their return areas. Jaffna: • The NRP for all children under 5 years continues district wide. Public Health Midwives and Rural Health Volunteers continue house to house visits of returned families to ensure no child is missed. All children on the NRP in Vavuniya camps, who have arrived in Jaffna District, have been admitted to the Jaffna NRP. HEALTH Jaffna: • As of 30 October, 3,462 children below 5 years among the resettled IDP population have been registered and screened.

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