The Australian Community Rehabilitation Programme (ACRP) under Australia’s flagship development initiative works to support communities in rehabilitation and social inclusion in Sri Lanka.
IOM’s ‘Transition Initiative for Sustainable Return & Reintegration of IDPs in Sri Lanka’ is a five year (2010-2015) project under the Australian Aid ACRP3 programme which focuses on sustainable return and socio-economic recovery of conflict and disaster affected communities in the Northern and Central provinces through stabilization and development of main sectors such as Agriculture, Fisheries, Dairy and Disaster Risk Reduction.
Cleaning of 1.2Km Thona (Natural Sea outlet) and construction of one culvert
The thona before IOM’s intervention
The Amirthakali and Maddikali villages are located in Manmunai North Division of Batticaloa in the Eastern Province of Sri Lanka. 1,760 individuals living in these villages are frequently affected by floods.
57 persons are engaged in fishing, 59 are engaged in farming, 150 are self-employed (Poultry and Cattle rearing, coconut oil production, running retail shops, selling food items such as string hoppers & hoppers in the evenings, weaving and selling coconut leaves) and 302 are working in the government and private sectors.
The 1.2 Km thona (natural out let to the sea) was not properly maintained by the local authorities due to insufficient funds. This resulted in increased floods in the past years. The thona has blockages in various places due to solid waste dumping and waste water discharge by the surrounding households. This limits the water flow and causes severe floods during the monsoon in November-January.
This situation has resulted in displacement of 127 families including 53 students, damages to the crops, poultry, and affected the livelihoods of the villagers. This also affects the schooling of children and pollutes the drinking water sources. The flood water in addition limits access to the day to day goods and services.
After completion of the renovation of the Thona
IOM as an initiative in Disaster Risk Reduction (DRR) undertook the cleaning of the Thona and constructing one culvert, targeting the vulnerable families living in Amirthakali and Maddikkali. The constructed culvert will regulate the water flow and allow the water to reach the sea and as such reduce the flooding in the villages. A total of 1,760 individuals have benefited directly from this intervention. District Disaster Management Center in the area forecasts that the flooding could be reduced by 75% after the intervention.
The project was implemented in close coordination with the Municipal Council, the Divisional Secretariat of Manmunai North and the Government Agent of Batticaloa. The technical assistance was provided by the Municipal Council which also undertook responsibility for the maintenance of the thona and culvert.
IOM also strengthened the existing “Village Level Disaster Management Committees” through needs based training on disaster management in order to ensure the regular cleaning of Thona prior to the monsoon. The Community also received a basic training on Disaster Risk Reduction (DRR) conducted by the Disaster Management Centre (DMC).