Joint Humanitarian and Early Recovery Update January‐March 2011 – Report # 30 THIS REPORT INDICATES THE UN AND NGO PARTNER RESPONSE TO CONTINUING HUMANITARIAN NEEDS AND EARLY RECOVERY CONCERNS, IN SUPPORT TO THE SRI LANKAN GOVERNMENT’S EFFORTS TO REBUILD THE FORMER CONFLICT‐AFFECTED REGIONS. ACTIVITIES SHOW PROGRESS TOWARDS THE SECTORAL PRIORITIES AND GOALS DESCRIBED IN THE 2011 JOINT PLAN FOR ASSISTANCE. 17,785 IDPs in Vavuniya and Jaffna camps as of 20 April 2011 371,869 people released and / or returned as of 20 April 2011 Source: Compiled by UNHCR from district and Government data I. SITUATION OVERVIEW & HIGHLIGHTS By 20 April 2011, 16,606 persons (5,069 families) await resettlement in Menik Farm, almost entirely (98%) from areas in Mullaitivu District heavily contaminated with landmine/other Explosive Remnants of War (ERW), yet to be released for humanitarian demining. Agencies continue maintenance activities on nearly 5,400 emergency shelters in Zones 0 and 1, while decommissioning unused shelters in vacated areas to remove potential protection hazards, as well as breeding grounds for pests. Zone 1 blocks are progressively receiving electricity connections. Access to water remains a concern in Zone 0 as work to install pipelines continues. Nevertheless IDPs received water supplies above the SPHERE standard of 7.5‐15 litres daily per person through a combination of sources, including bowsers, wells and the nearby Malwathu Oya river. Between 1 January and 20 April 2011, the organised return movements took place from Menik Farm to the following districts: - Mannar District: 85 persons (20 families) to Madhu Divisional Secretariat Divisions (DSD) on 1 February - Mullaitivu District: 197 persons (59 families) to Maritimepattu DSD on 29 March; 297 persons (89 families) to Oddusuddan DSD on 1 April; 422 persons (127 families) to Maritimepattu on 8 April; 292 persons (105 families) to Maritimepattu DSD on 20 April. Consequently a total of 371,869 persons (113,941 families) will have returned to their areas of origin. Some progress is noted in a few transit situations in Mullaitivu District. Some 100 persons (30 families) stranded since January 2011 have received military authorization to clear and fence plots of land in preparation for return. However the group is reluctant to return as it will be dispersed, opting to wait until the rest of the community – approximately 200 families living with host communities at present – return in the next few months. However 197 persons (59 families), who departed Menik Farm for to resettle in Maritimepattu have not been able to return directly home due to ongoing demining and are presently in transit sites. The returnees have access to water and sanitation facilities and will receive food rations, non‐ food items (NFIs) and the cash grant. In late March 2011, local authorities revised downward by 35% the number of IDPs living in host communities in Vavuniya District, a reduction of approximately 8,300 persons to a remaining total of approximately 13,700. This is the first update in such statistics since July 2010. Compiled by OCHA | Website: http://www.hpsl.lk 1 Joint Humanitarian and Early Recovery Update January‐March 2011 – Report # 30 Dialogue between the UN and the Sri Lankan Government continues to seek a streamlined mechanism at both central and local levels for approval of humanitarian access to the Northern Province. Current procedures require authorizations by the Presidential Task Force for Resettlement, Development and Security in the North (PTF), the Ministry of Defence, as well as consultations with local officials. Meanwhile, following discussions with the PTF, the UN Resident/Humanitarian Coordinator has stated that district administrations remain the focal point for UN and NGO partners in implementation of humanitarian programmes. Media reported the release of some 106 rehabilitated former LTTE combatants on 2 March, and another 206 on 1 April. The Commissioner‐General of Rehabilitation has announced that the planned release of 483 on 23 April would bring the number of released ex‐combatants to approximately 7,000, with 4,100 remaining in ‘protective custody and rehabilitation centres’. The ICRC closed its office in Vavuniya in late March, following a government request to run its operations exclusively from Colombo. The ICRC office in Jaffna was closed at the end of February. The ICRC continues to work with the Sri Lanka Red Cross Society, to respond to remaining humanitarian needs. In particular, the ICRC will continue to support beneficiaries of the Red Cross Family Visit Programme, which allows families to maintain links with relatives in custody. The Presidential Task Force (PTF) for Resettlement, Development and Security in the Northern Province has adopted the 3W (Who, What, Where) as a standard format for reporting, to provide a basis for operational coordination and support project monitoring at the central/local levels. Monitoring will be on a two‐ monthly cycle. A joint government‐OCHA IMU team has been established for technical issues and data collection. The PTF Secretary has called for a sector review meeting of activities for 2011 via the 3W platform. EASTERN PROVINCE FLOOD RECOVERY UPDATE The accumulation of heavy rains from December 2010, that caused devastating damage to districts throughout the Eastern, Northern and North‐Central Sri Lanka through to mid‐January 2011, were further exacerbated by heavy rainfall from 30 January 2011. The geographic coverage and magnitude of the second phase of floods was greater than in January, with correspondingly heightened devastation. The intense pressure of waters released from already‐full reservoirs caused acute damage to crops, essential tanks and irrigation channels, roads, infrastructure and housing. The incessant rainfall also triggered landslides in several areas of the Central Province of the island. According to the Disaster Management Centre (DMC) of the Ministry of Disaster Management (MoDM), over 1.1 million individuals were affected1 in the January floods, followed by 1.2 million people in the February phase. A total of 62 deaths were reported for both disasters. Families that had recently returned and were trying to rebuild their lives face magnified challenges in meeting their essential needs and restoring livelihoods. The floods have increased vulnerabilities for recent returnees in the Northern Province, while those in the coastal Eastern Province were previously affected by the December 2004 tsunami. The DMC coordinated the flood response from the onset in December 2010. On 10 January, the Government of Sri Lanka (GoSL) officially requested UN relief assistance. The Presidential Task Force (PTF) on Flood Relief was established to monitor and coordinate the flood response from 15 February 2011. The Task Force has prioritized the restoration of infrastructure, rebuilding of roads, tanks (including tank bunds and canals), as well as other irrigation schemes, and agricultural production damaged by floods. The GoSL is committing substantial resources to the flood response, with the UN and Non‐Governmental Organizations (NGO) complementing the GoSL lead by covering gaps in assistance to the affected population. Since January 2011, WFP has dispatched 1,250 metric tons of mixed food commodities to more than 400,000 beneficiaries. General food distributions to support recently flood‐affected communities are nearing completion in most areas, with large majority of beneficiaries graduating to ‘soft’ Food for Work (FFW) interventions. 1 The affected population is defined as an overall population in a flood-affected Grama Niladari Division (GND) of a district that may be unable to carry out their day-to-day activities due to the prevailing situation. Compiled by OCHA | Website: http://www.hpsl.lk 2 Joint Humanitarian and Early Recovery Update January‐March 2011 – Report # 30 ‘Soft’ FFW is a self‐targeting modality where the community itself selects those people unable to work due to physical factors for assistance. FFW norms allow for one family member to undertake work activities on behalf of the household, who are all entitled to receive food support that provides a social safety net. Some 300,000 ‘soft’ FFW beneficiaries are being targeted for assistance in Ampara, Batticaloa, Trincomalee, Polonnaruwa and Anuradhapura Districts. ‘Soft’ FFW activities will support the non‐technical rehabilitation of assets and livelihoods. In Ampara District, the first phase of the government’s Cash for Work (C4W) programme is complete, with 73,400 labour days spent repairing minor roads and irrigation channels at a cost of LKR 37.4 million. The second phase is expected to follow with an approximate funding allocation of LKR 100 million. In Batticaloa District, authorities are identifying beneficiaries and projects for C4W interventions (See table 1 below). In Trincomalee District, the C4W programme will target beneficiaries completing the WFP Soft‐Food for Work assistance. With the window for Cash‐ and Food for Work activities targeting readiness for the Yala season closing rapidly, activities need to be expedited in order to provide effective support. TABLE 1: C4W and F4W interventions in Batticaloa District Agencies Kiran Chenkalady Vavunatheevu Paddipalai Vellavely Vakarai Total GNs C4W F4W C4W F4W C4W F4W C4W F4W C4W F4W C4W F4W PIN 4 4 3 1 12 GoSL 21 8 16 2 47 ZOA 2 1 5 5 6 3 22 Arche Nova 1 1 1 3 ILO 3 9 12 Oxfam GB 4 4 Total 1,291 875 479 2,078 134 2,023 954 1,082 1,404 150 997 11,467 Beneficiaries Source: UNDP, Batticaloa District and Director Planning, District Secretariat, Batticaloa District, April 2011 A serious funding gap is restricting assistance for smallholder farmers in the Eastern Province, who lost their entire crop in the recent floods, to resume cultivation in the upcoming Yala season (May 2011‐August 2011). Against a government request for support to 34,200 households to cultivate 92,909 acres (or 37,600ha), FAO currently has funding from the Flash Appeal to support only 32% of the requirement, or approximately 30,000 acres of paddy cultivation by an estimated 30,000 households.