FACT SHEET – District 29 March 2007

BATTICALOA DISTRICT: CURRENT SITUATION Total number of displaced persons in Batticaloa district 159,355 persons (UNHCR) 26/03/07 Displaced families 42,366 families Sites 95 Highest number of displaced per division 40,901 persons in Manmunai South & Eruvil Pattu 36,796 persons in Manmunai North 32,771 persons in Pattu

Humanitarian Context • Overall security situation remains tense and volatile. Intensive daily shelling continues, putting at risk civilian population as well as humanitarian aid workers; • 40% of internally displaced staying in 95 internal displacement sites spread out over a wide geographical area posing serious challenges in the ability of humanitarian agencies to reach all sites and monitor activities, 60% with host families; • Some 45 international organizations including 8 UN agencies totaling 174 staff work in the district; • Dialog & Mobitel GSM mobile services are still suspended further compromising security of operations and staff and hampering the ability of agencies to respond in a timely and effective manner; • Since 22 March frequent failures of electricity supply occur in Batticaloa and Ampara; • No access to uncleared areas of Batticaloa West since 31 January 2007 due to insecurity and continuous military operations.

Issues • Shelter: Need for more than 3,000 temporary shelters for which current capacity is not sufficient. Clarification needed whether identified sites will be for emergency accommodation or longer term; UNHCR provided 105 tents to three existing sites in Manmunai North (Thiraimadu North Part, Sathrukondan Railway, Kokkuvil 3) in order to absorb the increased number of newly arrived IDPs. Shelter agencies are being identified to construct emergency shelter in those sites identified as suitable for development; • Food: Improved assistance on food distribution with WFP and partners currently catering for 100,000 persons. The district still awaits food to cover the government commitment of 40,000. Currently enough food in the district to cover 70,000 with the remainder being sent next month. However, some 30,000 people are still without food. Gaps also remain in supplementary food distributions. On 23/03/07 Caritas/EHED provided a 1 week dry ration for IDP families resettled in Vaharai. In response to government’s request to assist returnees, WFP has prioritised as follows: IDPs in camps, host families, returnees. Systems for local procurement are still not in place; • Watsan: Lack of water points and emergency toilets at new sites. Insufficient gully suckers could pose potential health risks at sites. Concerns about well cleaning in return areas at Vaharai where some 3,000-4,000 wells need cleaning. UNHCR, together with the shelter coordination cell (SCC), continues to assess the capacity of identified sites as well as wat/san facilities before setting up tents; • Health: Limited physical resources to meet current needs. Lack of available drugs at district level; • Protection monitoring: Presence of armed groups increasingly visible in and around IDP sites and Batticaloa town. Inter-agency protection monitoring teams continued to monitor IDP sites in Batticaloa. IDPs were put under serious pressure to return to Trincomalee and Vaharai; • Return movements from Batticaloa to Trincomalee have stopped since 21 March; • Approximately 12,546 IDPs (3,660 families GA figure 27/03/07) have returned to Vaharai. Smaller numbers continue to return. IASC continues to distribute the IASC leaflet “Returning Home” informing people of their right to voluntary return in safety & dignity (availability of basic services & infrastructure, security in places of return); • Education: 23 displaced schools operating in temporary structures. 101 schools are currently closed. 17 are being used as IDP sites. Other schools under strain to admit new IDP children.

Ongoing Operations • WFP/MNBD is on track in covering 100,000 IDPs in Batticaloa. Currently there is enough food in the district to cover 70,000 people with the remainder being sent in April;

Related Links: OCHA: http://www.humanitarianinfo.org/srilanka/catalogue/Catalogues.aspx?CatID=60 or http://ochaonline2.un.org/srilanka Relief web: http://www.reliefweb.int | CHAP Sri Lanka 2006 Report : http://www.humanitarianinfo.org/srilanka/docs/CHAP_projects/CHAP_Sri_Lanka_Sept_Dec%202006.pdf

IASC CT Secretariat (UNOCHA) 202-204, Bauddhaloka Mawatha, 07, Sri Lanka. Tel: +94 - 11 - 4528689 Ext. 384 / Fax: +94 - 11 - 4528690 SRI LANKA FACT SHEET – Batticaloa District 29 March 2007

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IASC CT Secretariat (UNOCHA) 202-204, Bauddhaloka Mawatha, Colombo 07, Sri Lanka. Tel: +94 - 11 - 4528689 Ext. 384 / Fax: +94 - 11 - 4528690