SRI LANKA - EARTHQUAKE AND TSUNAMIS: USAID/DART

UNCLAS SECTION 01 OF 06 COLOMBO 000401

SIPDIS

STATE ALSO PASS TO USAID
STATE FOR TSUNAMI TASK FORCE 1
USAID/W FOR A/AID ANDREW NATSIOS, JBRAUSE
DCHA/OFDA KISAACS, GGOTTLIEB, MMARX, RTHAYER, BDEEMER
AID/W FOR DCHA/OFDA
TSUNAMI RESPONSE MANAGEMENT TEAM

SIPDIS
DCHA/FFP FOR LAUREN LANDIS
DCHA DEPUTY ASSISTANT ADMINISTRATOR WILLIAM GARVELINK
ANE DEPUTY ASSISTANT ADMINISTRATOR MARK WARD
BANGKOK FOR OFDA SENIOR REGIONAL ADVISOR TOM DOLAN
KATHMANDU FOR OFDA REGIONAL ADVISOR WILLIAM BERGER
GENEVA FOR USAID KYLOH
ROME PASS FODAG
NSC FOR MELINE
CDR USPACOM FOR J3/J4/POLAD
USEU PASS USEC

E.O. 12958: N/A
TAGS: EAID AEMR PREL PGOV CE
SUBJECT: SRI LANKA - EARTHQUAKE AND TSUNAMIS: USAID/DART
SITREP #16
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Summary
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1. Former Presidents George Bush and Bill Clinton visited Sri
Lanka as part of a tour of four tsunami-affected countries
from February 20 to 21. The USAID Disaster Assistance
Response Team (USAID/DART) continues to travel to tsunami-
affected districts to monitor and evaluate USAID's Office of
U.S. Foreign Disaster Assistance (USAID/OFDA) programs.
USAID/OFDA implementing partner Sarvodaya is implementing cash-
for-work programs in the water and sanitation sector that will
benefit approximately 12,000 people in 40 villages in Galle,
Hambantota, and Ampara districts. Sarvodaya reports two main
concerns: uncertainty about the fate of families with land in
the 100-meter coastal buffer zone and difficulty in
construction material procurement due to high demand in Galle.
USAID/OFDA partner Community Habitat Finance (CHF)
International reports being one of the few organizations in
Galle filling the temporary shelter gap in the district
because of local government authorities' push for relief
agencies to concentrate on permanent housing. End summary.

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Presidents Bush and Clinton Visit to Sri Lanka
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2. From February 20 to 21, former Presidents George Bush and
Bill Clinton visited Sri Lanka as part of a tour of four
tsunami-affected countries. On February 20, the former

SIPDIS
presidents met with President Chandrika Kumaratunga and
Government of Sri Lanka (GOSL) officials to discuss tsunami
relief assistance and long-term needs in the country. The
next day, Mr. Bush and Mr. Clinton traveled to the
Polatumodera camp in the southern district of Matara. During
the visit, the former presidents observed the construction of
transitional housing, a project implemented by USAID/OFDA
partner CHF International in collaboration with cash-for-work
laborers and beneficiaries. The presidents also viewed the
USAID/OFDA-funded Christian Children's Fund (CCF) project that
provides psychological and social support through child-
friendly spaces where games and activities are designed to
help tsunami-affected children with emotional recovery. In
addition, the delegation observed water treatment by a reverse
osmosis unit provided by the U.S. private sector firm, ITT
Industries, at Habaraduwa Division in Galle District.

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USAID/DART Visit to Sarvodaya's Activities in Galle District
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3. On February 16, the USAID/DART Water and Sanitation
Officer (WSO) and Information Officer (IO) visited Galle
District and viewed USAID/OFDA implementing partner
Sarvodaya's activities in the area. With USAID/OFDA funding,
the Sri Lankan non-governmental organization (NGO) Sarvodaya
is implementing cash-for-work programs in the water and
sanitation sector that will benefit approximately 12,000
beneficiaries in 40 villages in Galle, Hambantota, and Ampara
districts. Sarvodaya is providing employment to residents
from affected areas to construct and rehabilitate latrines,
repair wells, construct compost bins, and install water tanks.


4. In Galle, Sarvodaya had completed the installation of 44
1,000-liter water tanks in 24 villages as of February 16.
However, water delivery to these tanks has not been
consistent; the Water Board or other NGOs fill the tanks when
water trucks are available. To address this problem,
Sarvodaya rented a 14,000-liter water truck from Colombo to
service these water tanks for two months starting on February

17. In the sanitation sector, construction of more than 50
permanent latrines in 6 villages in Galle has begun.
Sarvodaya plans to construct and repair more than 1,100
latrines in the district, although the total number of
latrines will likely increase as people return to their land.
Due to cultural norms, Sarvodaya will construct one latrine
per family, instead of the planned one latrine for two
families.


5. While Sarvodaya has provided water tanks to families
living within the 100-meter buffer zone, the organization is
not constructing latrines in that zone due to the uncertainty
about its exact line of demarcation and the fate of families
with land in the zone. Sarvodaya representatives noted that
the GOSL has announced plans to allocate land for families
whose houses are in the buffer zone. Families and relief
agencies are awaiting this land allocation to begin
construction of permanent housing and water and sanitation
facilities.


6. Sarvodaya reported difficulties in obtaining construction
materials, primarily construction sand, blocks, and concrete
aggregates, due to high demand in Galle. The price of
construction sand has increased from approximately 3,000
rupees pre-tsunami to more than 4,000 rupees per 100 cubic
feet post-tsunami. As a result of supply shortages,
construction sand has to be procured from other districts and
takes between two and three days to arrive in Galle.
Sarvodaya also noted difficulty in hiring masons and
carpenters at current wages due to the high demand for skilled
workers; no problems were reported in finding unskilled labor.


7. Sarvodaya's project is scheduled to last four months, but
will likely be extended due to delays in procuring
construction materials. According to Sarvodaya, beneficiaries
report satisfaction with the cash-for-work program and are
encouraged by the ability to earn an income and participate in
the recovery of their communities.


8. The USAID/DART accompanied Sarvodaya to visit villages in
the Kadawatsatara, Habaraduwa, and Balapitiya divisions where
Sarvodaya's cash-for-work recipients are constructing
latrines. Residents from the villages reported receiving the
GOSL assistance package, including food ration coupons.


9. The USAID/DART noted that in some villages local
government authorities have demarcated the 100-meter zone with
numbers painted on coconut palm trees. [Note: Although the
USAID/DART stated difficulty finding the 100-meter markers,
village residents seemed satisfied with knowing the limit of
the buffer zone and being able to begin the reconstruction
and/or rehabilitation of their homes. End note.] However, in
the village of Randombe, Balapitiya Division, government
officials have not provided any 100-meter markers. The
USAID/DART observed residents making repairs to homes within
the buffer zone. These residents were working as quickly as
possible to repair their homes in the hope that government
authorities will not require them to move.

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CHF International's Activities in Galle District
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10. The USAID/DART also met with representatives of
USAID/OFDA implementing partner CHF International in Galle and
visited the village of Godagama, Hikkaduwa Division.
According to CHF, the tsunami displaced 55 families from the
village who resided for more than one month in tents at the
Kurup Kanda Temple in Godagama. At the time of the USAID/DART
visit, most families had returned to their land or had moved
with relatives and friends.


11. In Godagama, CHF's program will benefit 78 families, with
three to four persons per family. CHF will provide residents
of this site and other sites in Galle and Matara districts
with sturdy transitional housing units. CHF built a
transitional shelter prototype unit that provides more than
200 square feet of space per family, exceeding international
Sphere standards for emergency housing, and has received
positive feedback from village residents. The shelter units
are constructed with low-cost, reusable materials, including
steel tubes, concrete floor, aluminum sheet roofing, and
plastic sheeting on the sides that can be raised for
ventilation. Following discussions with members of the
community and in accordance with cultural norms, CHF has
agreed to add a half wall of concrete block to each unit. In
addition, families will have the ability to adapt the design
to their needs, by adding interior dividing units or painting
the concrete floor.


12. CHF is providing training sessions on construction
techniques and materials for families to build their own
shelters. Distribution of materials is done in stages to
prevent families from selling the materials and to ensure that
shelters are completed. CHF plans to construct approximately
200 transitional shelters per week in Galle District during
the next month. In response to needs that CHF has identified,
CHF is expanding its transitional shelter program in Galle to
five divisions from an original plan of three. CHF reported
being one of the few organizations filling the gap for
temporary shelter because local government authorities pushed
relief agencies to concentrate on permanent housing.


13. In approximately 20 divisions of Galle, CHF has
identified as an urgent need the cleanup of canal blockages in
areas between 500 meters and 1 km from the coast. There are
concerns that these blockages could lead to dengue fever
outbreaks. CHF plans to commence cash-for-work projects to
clean these canals starting the week of February 21.

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Donor Fact Finding Mission to Galle and Matara districts
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14. From February 10 to 11, representatives from the
USAID/DART and the Embassy of Norway conducted a donor fact
finding mission to Galle and Matara districts in southern Sri
Lanka. The team noted that Galle District experienced more
displacement than any other in Sri Lanka, according to the
GOSL. Approximately 13,500 houses were either completely or
partially damaged and 128,000 residents were affected. In
Matara District, more than 7,500 houses were completely or
partially destroyed and approximately 79,000 were affected.


15. According to the fact finding team, during the first two
weeks of the disaster response, assistance to internally
displaced persons (IDPs) in these districts was unorganized;
however services have slowly improved. In Galle, there were
more coordination meetings with government participation in
the early stages of the response than at the present time.
Conversely, general and sector-level coordination meetings in
Matara are now held regularly. The team noted that in the
absence of sufficient direction from district-level government
authorities in Galle, NGOs attempt to coordinate among
themselves at the division and village levels. While NGO
meetings are helpful, not all humanitarian agencies in a given
area attend them, limiting the effectiveness of the meetings.
In Galle, some NGOs negotiate their proposed interventions
solely with government authorities at the district or village
level, seeking their approval and avoiding the onerous and
lengthy task of gaining district-level approval. This
situation is compounded by innumerable organizations providing
assistance with or without government knowledge, coordination,
and approval in both districts. In addition, local government
officials' lack of experience in working closely with U.N.
agencies and NGOs in rehabilitation activities hinder the
ability of the districts to get the maximum benefit of non-
government service providers.


16. The fact finding team noted that information management
is a major concern and problem for governmental authorities in
both districts. The Galle Government Agent (GA) stated that
the district lacked adequate hardware and trained personnel to
gather and analyze data from tsunami-affected communities. In
Matara, the GA office relied on antiquated systems and
equipment, though the tight-knit office had ready access to
relevant data. [Note: To address these concerns, USAID's
Office of Transition Initiatives (USAID/OTI) is engaged in a
USAID/OFDA-funded program aimed at building linkage across
governmental structures through information sharing. Through
this program, USAID/OTI is providing computer equipment,
internet access, and training to the offices of GAs and
Divisional Secretaries in Ampara, Galle, Hambantota, Matara,
and Trincomalee districts. The purpose of the program is to
allow these local government authorities to increase the
efficiency of information and data management by connecting to
the system established by the central government. The program
also aims to improve the information flow system and develop
communications between various governmental and non-
governmental stakeholders. End note.]


17. The fact finding team reported that the issue of greatest
importance and consternation in Galle and Matara is the buffer
zone policy that restricts families and businesses from
rebuilding within 100 meters from the coast. Tourism and
fishing represent the vast majority of livelihoods in Galle,
and both industries require a close working proximity to the
ocean. Similarly affected are businesses that cannot rebuild
within 100 meters of the ocean, nor find adequate space to
rebuild beyond the buffer zone; impacting the livelihoods of
thousands of residents, according to the team. If a business
in the 100-meter buffer zone was minimally damaged and was
able to continue operations, it can re-open its doors.
However, if damage curtailed its operations, the business
would not be allowed to rebuild and re-open. Without
government approval, a business cannot obtain a loan from a
commercial lender. The team stated that everyone involved
appears to be awaiting a national ruling on the 100-meter
buffer zone. Beyond 100 meters, there is clarity that
rebuilding can begin, and the government is encouraging
reconstruction activities.


18. The team observed that in addition to shelter the
restoration of livelihoods is the highest priority, with tens
of thousands out of work indefinitely. Many NGOs are
implementing cash-for-work projects, temporarily employing
tsunami-affected populations to do debris cleanup and small-

SIPDIS
scale rehabilitation projects. In some cases, as in Matara,
cash-for-work is used to engage those affected in creative
livelihood projects such as boat repair and block-making
enterprises. [Note: USAID/OFDA is partnering with local and
international NGOs and USAID/OTI to support cash-for-work
programs totaling more than $10.9 million in tsunami-affected
districts. End note.]


19. While shelter and livelihoods remain concerns, the needs
of tsunami-affected people in the sectors of water and
sanitation, health, and food are for the most part being met
in both districts, according to the team. The GOSL assistance
relief package is reportedly reaching nearly all those
affected by the tsunami.

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USAID/DART Staffing
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20. As of February 22, there are three members of the
USAID/DART in Sri Lanka.

LUNSTEAD