(SBU) SRI LANKA - EARTHQUAKE AND

UNCLAS SECTION 01 OF 07 COLOMBO 000457

SIPDIS

STATE ALSO PASS TO USAID
STATE FOR TSUNAMI TASK FORCE 1
USAID/W FOR A/AID ANDREW NATSIOS, JBRAUSE
AID/W FOR DCHA/OFDA
DCHA/OFDA KISAACS, GGOTTLIEB, MMARX, RTHAYER,
BDEEMER
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 JMELINE
CDR USPACOM FOR J3/J4/POLAD
USEU PASS USEC

E.O. 12958: N/A
TAGS: EAID AEMR PREL PGOV CE
SUBJECT: (SBU) SRI LANKA - EARTHQUAKE AND
TSUNAMIS: USAID/DART SITREP #17

SIPDIS

--------------
Summary
--------------


1. (U) At a February 21 meeting, the
Commissioner General of Essential Services
instructed the Government Agents (GA) and lead
shelter agencies to establish a district project
office that will coordinate transitional shelter
issues in each affected district. In addition,
the Commissioner stated that decision-making and
approval of transitional shelter, including land
allocation and shelter requirements, would be
decentralized and made at the district level.
On January 27, the Government of Sri Lanka
(GOSL) announced assistance packages for owners
of tsunami- damaged houses. Families with
houses within the Coastal Conservation Zone
(CCZ),or buffer zone, will be provided new
houses free of charge and in close proximity to
the original location of their damaged houses.
Affected families with houses outside the CCZ
will be entitled to a state grant depending on
the extent of the damage. The Ministry of
Agriculture's Water Resources Board has offered
its assistance to the Ministry of Urban
Development and Water Supply (MUDWS) to locate
new groundwater sources and to investigate the
quality of existing water sources. End summary.

--------------
Shelter
--------------


2. (U) On February 21, the Commissioner General
of Essential Services Tilak Ranaviraja, head of
Task Force for Relief (TAFOR),chaired a meeting
on transitional shelter. GAs and
representatives from tsunami-affected districts,
except Ampara, attended the meeting to discuss
the Transitional Accommodation Project (TAP).
Meeting attendees also included representatives
from non-governmental organizations (NGOs),U.N.
agencies, and donors, such as the USAID Disaster
Assistance Response Team (USAID/DART.)


3. (U) During a presentation of the current
situation on housing, Nimal Aberatne,
Coordinator of TAP, stated that tents are a
problem because they are too hot, not water-
proof, and not secure enough for families'
possessions. As a result, no additional tents
would be released unless in emergency
situations. The GOSL is committed to providing
housing in two stages: transitional shelter for
up to 18 months and permanent housing. Mr.
Aberatne emphasized that under the current GOSL
policy for transitional housing: a) guidelines
for house design and minimum specifications have
been established; b) a range for the cost of
each housing unit has been stipulated by donors;
c) the CCZ, or buffer zone, has been
established; and d) the GOSL will provide land
for new housing for those with houses within the
CCZ.


4. (U) At the meeting, the Commissioner General
instructed the GAs and the districts' lead
shelter agencies to establish a project office
that will coordinate the TAP in each affected
district. The lead shelter agency in each
district - either an NGO or a U.N. agency - will
be responsible for setting up the office and
providing at least 2,000 square feet of office
space and adequate parking. The office will be
staffed by full-time personnel including: a) a
project officer appointed by the lead agency; b)
a land officer, preferably a retired government
official with experience in land issues; c) a
technical officer with field experience and
nominated by the GA; d) representatives from key
relief agencies in the shelter sector working in
the district; and e) a police officer if the
agencies feel one is needed. In addition, the
lead agency should provide transportation
facilities, whether a car, motorcycle, or tri-
wheeler, for government officials posted to the
office to visit sites throughout the district.
Mr. Ranaviraja also noted that the GAs and lead
agencies should determine whether additional
project offices are needed in those divisions
that might be far from the district's center.
The Commissioner requested that the offices
begin operations on February 25 and stated that
he will travel to all the districts between
February 25 and 28 to officially open the
project offices.


5. (SBU) According to the Commissioner,
decision-making and approval of transitional
shelter, including land allocation and shelter
requirements, would be decentralized and made at
the district level because the central
government does not know the particularities of
each site. However, Mr. Ranaviraja noted that
decisions should adhere to established central
government's parameters; and the national
project office would intervene or provide
guidance when needed. [Comment: The USAID/DART
noted that the manner in which the Commissioner
conducted the meeting and announced the
decentralization of decision-making contradicts
the decentralization message. End comment.]


6. (U) In response to the Commissioner's
request for suggestions on what to do with the
large number of tents in the country not yet
distributed, the U.N. High Commissioner for
Refugees (UNHCR) representative proposed that
the GAs identify those internally displaced
persons (IDPs) that are still living under
plastic sheeting. The surplus of tents could
then be used to replace the plastic sheeting and
give these IDPs better living conditions before
receiving temporary shelters. UNHCR requested
that GAs complete a questionnaire handed out at
the meeting to determine exact shelter needs at
the district and division levels.


7. (SBU) Comment: The USAID/DART noted that
the GAs were not given much time during the
meeting to share information and raise concerns
about the situation in their districts. The
meeting consisted of top-down instructions from
the Commissioner General. End comment.


8. (U) On February 27, the GOSL announced
assistance packages for owners of tsunami-
damaged houses. Damaged houses within the CCZ
will not be allowed to be reconstructed.
According to the announcement, the GOSL will
provide these families a new house with a
minimum area of 500 square feet free of charge
and in close proximity to the original location
of their damaged houses. The proposed houses
will be located in urban and rural settlements
that will be provided with infrastructure, such
as electricity, water and sanitation, and
recreation facilities. Affected families with
houses outside the CCZ will be entitled to a
state grant depending on the extent of the
damage. Families whose houses have a repair
cost of more than 40 percent of the house's
value will receive 250,000 rupees disbursed in
four stages. Houses with a repair cost of less
than 40 percent are entitled to 100,000 rupees
disbursed in two stages.


9. (SBU) The GOSL's announcement also indicated
that no development activity in the western and
southern districts will be allowed 100 meters
from the mean high water line, while the CCZ in
the eastern and northern districts is 200
meters. The GOSL has decided that the only
exceptions to the CCZ policy will be: a) coastal
conservation structures and vegetation; b)
activities in connection with the fisheries
industry, such as harbors, piers, anchorages,
warehouses, and ancillary facilities; c)
agricultural activities approved by the Coast
Conservation Department; d) historical monuments
and archeological sites; and e) essential
infrastructure facilities. [Comment: The GOSL's
decision to establish the CCZ is controversial
and will certainly cause protests from people in
affected areas that will be forced to move as a
result of this regulation. End comment.]

--------------
Food
--------------


10. (U) At the February 21 shelter meeting, the
U.N. World Food Program (WFP) presented the
preliminary results of the food needs
assessments mission. The needs assessment
mission consisted of 1) review of secondary data
pre-tsunami food insecurity from 2003; 2) a
nutrition survey conducted in collaboration with
the U.N. Children's Fund (UNICEF); and 3) a
joint WFP and International Labor Organization
(ILO) livelihood survey covering 1,860
households. Preliminary results highlight the
need to scale down general food assistance after
three months and refine targeting of
beneficiaries. WFP presented a proposal
comprised of four programs: a) meet short-term
needs in tsunami-affected districts during two
to three months; b) provide employment
opportunities through a combination of cash- and
food-for-work schemes; c) provide nutritious
food to vulnerable groups through the Ministry
of Health (MOH) and through take-home rations;
and d) provide a safety net to households with
high dependency ratios who are unable to sustain
themselves.

--------------
Water and Sanitation
--------------


11. (U) On February 22, representatives of the
USAID/DART and USAID/Sri Lanka attended a
meeting hosted by the MUDWS, with the audience
primarily from the donor community. MUDWS
reported that the following five water and
sanitation gaps remain: a) expedite the
procurement of equipment and materials urgently
needed, such as gully emptiers; b) investigate
new water sources closer to residents; c)
identify additional staff to operate water
trucks, gully emptiers, and purification plants;
d) establish a water quality surveillance
system; and e) provide the balance requirement
of toilets for transitional housing. A
representative of the Ministry of Agriculture's
Water Resources Board attending the meeting
offered the organization's assistance in
locating new groundwater sources and
investigating the quality of existing water
sources. [Comment: The USAID/DART noted that
this was an important development in initiating
coordination between two GOSL agencies. End
comment.]


12. (U) The MUDWS' National Water Supply and
Drainage Board completed a water and sanitation
needs assessment for each tsunami-affected
district. Preliminary results from the
assessment indicate that needs total
approximately USD 197 million, including piped
water service to new settlement areas, repairs
to existing piped water systems, and the
temporary delivery of water by trucks.


13. (U) The U.N. World Health Organization
(WHO) noted that responsibility for monitoring
water quality needs to be clarified. The WHO
representative suggested that GOSL ministries
and boards responsible for water issues work in
coordination with the MOH to develop monitoring
procedures for water quality monitoring. At
this time, MUDWS has laboratories at the
district level, but the MOH's public health
inspectors send testing samples to the MOH
regional laboratories. WHO recommended
increased coordination between both ministries
to streamline the monitoring process.


14. (U) According to the USAID/DART Water and
Sanitation Officer, the hygiene promotion
workgroup, comprised of the MOH and a small
group of NGOs and U.N. agencies, has not
produced any promotional materials to date. The
workgroup was given the task of finding
available and appropriate hygiene promotion
materials that could be used immediately in the
transitional camps and having posters ready by
the end of January. However, the group
developed a plan for a hygiene promotion
campaign that includes various forms of media
and would take too long to implement, thus not
addressing the immediate concerns of the water
and sanitation coordination group. UNICEF is
trying to get the workgroup to focus on a short-
term plan to find existing educational
materials.


15. (U) At the February 25 Water and Sanitation
meeting, UNICEF presented results from a
February survey conducted in 319 IDP camps in
the nine tsunami-affected districts. The
average size of each IDP camp was 87 families.
Results from the survey indicate that while
potable water is available at all camps,
quantity varies widely. UNICEF recommends that
an additional 1,200 water storage tanks be setup
in camps throughout affected districts.

--------------
NGO Coordination
--------------


16. (U) At the February 25 NGO coordination
meeting, the Consortium of Humanitarian Agencies
(CHA) announced plans to present a list of
recommendations to the Commissioner of Essential
Services for improvements on relief effort
coordination. CHA requested that NGOs provide
suggestions for the list. Relief agencies
continue to express frustration about the lack
of leadership and coordination for the relief
effort.


17. (U) CHA encouraged relief organizations to
contact the Ministry of Finance and Planning.
In early February, the Ministry issued a
communiqu requesting organizations involved in
tsunami relief and reconstruction activities to

SIPDIS
provide the following information: a) details of
ongoing programs and estimated costs; b) details
of proposed projects and programs, including
estimated costs; c) source of funding; d) annual
report; and e) audited accounts and financial
statements. The communiqu stated that this
information is being requested to quote ensure
the effective use of resources for
r
reconstruction, transparency and accountability
in allocation and disbursement of funds, and
effective overall coordination so that the funds
raised are effectively matched with the needs of
the affected areas end quote.

LUNSTEAD