People of all walks join in relief operations

P.Krishnaswamy

The people and all religious organisations in Vavuniya have joined hands with the government in mounting a massive humanitarian operation to provide relief to the hundreds of thousands of civilians who had fled the conflict zone. Heeding to an appeal from the government, people and the business community of the South have already begun contributing to the relief stocks being collected in Colombo and other cities, sources said. Governor for the Northern Province, Sarath Chandra Dela, Ministers including Disaster Relief Minister Ameer Ali, Nation Building Deputy Minister Chandrasiri, senior administrative officers and security forces are engaged in directing round-the-clock relief operations, the sources said. Over 120,000 Wanni refugees have converged in Vavuniya after April 20, while 20,000 more are in the transit centre at Omanthai and another 30,000 are on their way in areas between Omanthai and Kilinochchi, government sources said. All immediate relief assistance including cooked food, medical assistance, drinking water and temporary shelters are being provided to the refugees, the sources said. The UNHCR, ICRC and the International Organisation for Migration (IOM) are in the process of fixing about 10,000 tents, with 60,000 more tents - 20,000 from the UN and 40,000 from the governments of Jordan and Saudi Arabia - are to arrive shortly, each tent having a capacity to accommodate five persons.

Forty bowsers are in service transporting water and 300 buses are engaged for transporting the refugees, the sources said. The GAs of Kandy, Anuradhapura and Polonnaruwa have been attached to the Vavuniya secretariat to oversee the relief operations.

The government was disbursing Rs.130 per head, per day for providing cooked food and non-food items like bedsheets and utensils are also being provided.

World Food Programme (WFP) Country Director Adanan Khan told the Sunday Observer that 800 tonnes of food were already in stock in their stores and 400 tonnes were sent to Vavuniya last Friday. The WFP was supporting the government officials in providing food relief to the refugees, he said adding that the WFP will continue to refurbish stores where food stocks are stored.