Batticaloa District
Affected
Divisional Secretary Divisions
(1) Manmunai North (6)
Eravur Pattu
(2) Kattankudy (7)
Koralai Pattu
(3) Manmunai Pattu (8)
Koralai Pattu Central
(4) Manmunai South and Eruvil Pattu (9) Koralai Pattu North.
(5)
Affected People
Damages to
Different Sectors
|
Sector |
Nature of the Damage |
Estimated Cost (Rs. mn) |
|
Road |
All roads in the affected area have been severely damaged |
558.3 |
|
Telecommunication |
|
2.1 |
|
Water supply |
All wells in the affected area were polluted and no way
to get purified water in this area |
1800.0 |
|
Electricity |
|
97.6 |
|
Agriculture |
Agricultural lands along the coastal belt have been
damaged by salt water. (Damages to Department of Agrarian Services, Department of Agriculture and Cashew
Corporation) |
13.0 |
|
Education |
12 schools fully damaged and 25 schools partially
damaged. 410 students and 10 teachers were among died persons. |
410.8 |
|
Health |
02 district hospitals, 01 rural hospital, 01 peripheral
units, and 03 dispensaries were damaged |
168.0 |
|
Fisheries |
Fishing villages, fishing boats and gears were damaged. . |
722.7 |
|
Housing |
Total Number of houses damaged:17,608 (fully damaged : 12,232 partially damaged : 5376) |
6700.0 |
|
Total |
10,472.5 |
|
Actions Taken
Confronted Problems and Issues
Challenges Ahead
Post Tsunami Recovery Process
District Experience and Challenges Ahead
Batticaloa District
Affected Divisional Secretary
Divisions
(1)
Manmunai North (6)
Eravur Pattu
(2)
Kattankudy (7)
Koralai Pattu
(3)
Manmunai Pattu (8)
Koralai Pattu Central
(4)
Manmunai South and Eruvil Pattu (9)
Koralai Pattu North.
(5) Eravur Town
Affected People
·
Total number of affected
persons: 255,000
·
Total number of deaths and
missing: 3,177
Damages to Different Sectors
|
Sector |
Nature of the Damage |
Estimated Cost (Rs. mn) |
|
Road |
All
roads in the affected area have been severely damaged |
558.3 |
|
Telecommunication |
|
2.1 |
|
Water supply |
All
wells in the affected area were polluted and no way to get purified water in
this area |
1800.0 |
|
Electricity |
|
97.6 |
|
Agriculture |
Agricultural
lands along the coastal belt have been damaged by salt water. (Damages to Department of Agrarian Services, Department of Agriculture and Cashew
Corporation) |
13.0 |
|
Education |
12 schools fully damaged and 25 schools partially damaged. 410 students
and 10 teachers were among died persons.
|
410.8 |
|
Health |
02
district hospitals, 01 rural hospital, 01 peripheral units, and 03
dispensaries were damaged |
168.0 |
|
Fisheries |
Fishing
villages, fishing boats and gears were damaged. . |
722.7 |
|
Housing |
Total Number of houses damaged:17,608 (fully damaged : 12,232 partially damaged : 5376) |
6700.0 |
|
Total |
10,472.5 |
|
Actions
Taken
·
Nearly 21,000 people were
given temporary shelters in welfare camps.
·
Sectoral Task Forces have
been established to coordinate reconstruction activities.
·
1,500 temporary houses have
been constructed by INGOs.
·
27 sites have been
identified for housing schemes.
Confronted
Problems and Issues
·
Providing housing facilities
to affected people.
·
Lagoons and coastal areas
were not cleaned yet and it impedes fishing activities.
·
Most NGOs work in the
fisheries sector and the other sectors such as agriculture and livestock have
been neglected.
·
No adequate classroom
accommodation in devastated schools and poor attendance of students.
·
Control of spreading of
communicable diseases and preventive measures has to be taken in order to
protect from them.
·
Provision of infrastructure
facilities such as access roads, electricity and water supply with limited
funds.
·
Agricultural lands along the
coast have been abandoned by cultivators due to the pollution of soil.
·
Inadequate human resources
to conduct counseling for psychologically affected people.
Challenges
Ahead
·
Providing permanent
shelter-selection of suitable locations, supply of building materials,
preparation of appropriate structural plans and providing infrastructure.
·
Construction of tsunami
prevention structures-selection of materials, structural plans, estimating,
etc.
·
Improvement of soil
conditions of affected lands for cultivation.
Experience and the Challenges Ahead
Batticaloa District
The district of Batticaloa
occupies the central part of the Eastern Province. It covers the land area of
approximately 2633.1 square Km and internal waterway of 299 square Km. The
district accounts for 3.0% of the countries total land area. The District is
bounded by:
North : Verugal Aru & Trincomalee District
East : Bay of Bengal [Sea]
South & South West : Apmarai District
West & North West : Polonnaruwa District
Administrative divisions
The District is divided into 14
administrative Divisions [Divisional Secretariat Divisions]
They
are:-
Manmunai
North Eravur
Town
Kattankudy Eravur Pattu
Manmunai
Pattu Koralai
Pattu South
Manmunai
South and Eruvil Pattu Koralai
Pattu
Porathivu
Pattu Koralai
Pattu Central
Manmunai
South West Koralai
Pattu West
Manmunai
West Koralai
Pattu North
Experience
Affected Administrative
Divisions:
Manmunai
North
Kattankudy
Manmunai
Pattu
Eravur
Town
Eravur
Pattu
Koralai
Pattu
Koralai
Pattu Central
Manmunai
South & Eravur Pattu
Koralai
Pattu North
Live and Livelihood
Live
The District has a population of
545,477 [Estimated]. Density of population is 226 persons per square Km in
Batticaloa District. A high density of population exists at Kattankudy DS
Division and lowest density of population is Krolaipattu North DS Division.
The following details indicate
the death, injury and missing of people by the Tsunami.
Death 2,837
Injured 2,375
Missing 340
Livelihood
Major portion of the population
is engaged in Agriculture while the fishing occupies the second place in the
economy of the district. Other occupations are Industrial activities, Business
and Employment in Government, corporation and private Establishments. The
District has about 30,000 Agriculture families and about 16,300 fishing
families.
The following details indicates
the damages in the sector of Livelihood by the Tsunami.
Small
Scale
Beetle, Goldsmith and home gardening, fishing, carpentry, poultry, cow and goat rearing
Large
Scale
Coconut
cultivation, Palmyra Cultivation, cashew Cultivation Paddy Cultivation and
Fishing
Government Departments
Health
A Teaching Hospital with
necessary facilities and bed strength is at Batticaloa Town. Five private
Hospitals [at town] although small in size serve the public satisfactorily. In
the rural areas Peripheral unit, District Hospitals and Dispensaries are
functioning. But unfortunately in some places due to the present situation
medical centres are not function.
Details
of damaged hospitals
District hospital Kattankudy
District hospital Kallar
Rural
hospital Palameenmadu
Peripheral
unit Vaharai
Central
dispensary Navalady
Central
dispensary and maternity home - Thuraineelavanai
Central
dispensary Palamunai
Total Damages by the Tsunami Rs. 168 mn.
Education
There are 321 schools in the
district in which a total no of 117,794 students are enrolled with 3989
Teachers in all. The Eastern University
with the Faculties of Agriculture, Science, Commerce and Arts at Vantharumoolai
is the Higher Educational Centre. There
is training college at Thalandudha for training of teachers in the
District. The Technical College at
Manchanthoduwai and Eastern Technical Institute at Batticaloa town Provide
technological Trainings.
Total damages
Schools (Partially) - 25 (Approximate value Rs. 259.6 mn.
Schools (Fully) -
12 (Approximate value Rs. 151.2 mn.
Total Rs. 410.8 mn.
Students Death - 410
Teachers Death -
10
Agriculture
The district has about 58,374 hectares of paddy lands. Between the normal seasons Maha and Yala an inter seasonal cultivation called late Maha [From February to May] is cultivated by the farmers. In some areas the farmers cultivate it with the support of Minor irrigation tanks. Unnichai, Vahaneri, Rugam, Navagiri, Thupankerney, Kittulwewa, Kaddumurivu and Kadukkamunai are some of the important major tanks that feed the paddy lands of the District along with many other minor tanks. Again about 49,339 Hectares of highland have been cultivated wide-spread throughout the District. The coastal Villages lying from Kurukklmadam at Manmunai South & Eruvil pattu DS Division are popular for Onion, Chilly, Betel and Vegetable cultivations.
·
Total
damage to department of agrarian development -
Rs. 11.4 mn.
·
Total
damage to department of agriculture - Rs. 0.8 mn.
Since long cashew nuts are the most important cash crops for the District. Due to the Tsunami most of the cashew plants were affected. Among many difficulties Cashew Co-operation is trying hard to bring this cultivation to its earliest prosperous stage.
Total damage of Cashew Corporation 0.7 mn.
Fishing
Fishing is second only the paddy cultivation. The encroachment of the sea into the lagoon thus forming a good fishing environment is estimated as 56km. The long sea cost with suitable bays at long intervals coupled with their rivers and the estuaries, the miles long lagoon and the innumerable tanks and water holes provide ample scope for this industry.
Total damages in fishing sector by the Tsunami Rs. 722.7 mn.
Houses
Partially damaged -
5,376
Fully damaged - 12,232
Infrastructure
Road
Total damages Rs. 558.3 mn.
Telecommunication
Total damages Rs. 2 mn.
Short term
·
Providing S.P.S. to IDPS
·
Livelihood
·
Providing education for IDPS
·
Relief for minor psychological disorders
{Counseling}
·
Controlling and protection communicable deceases
·
Reconstructing immediate infrastructure facilities
Long term
·
Permanent shelter
·
Construction of prevention structures from Tsunami
·
Soil improvement to agriculture
·
Systematic cashew plantation
·
Infrastructure
·
Psychological treatment
Housing
Short
term
·
Providing
semi permanent structure to IDPS
·
Selection of location
·
Coordination among the NGOS & Government
·
Finding construction materials & labor
·
Satisfy peoples third world attitude
·
Standardization of IDPs camps
Livelihood
·
Since all the essential food items are being
supplied motivating a labor and get him out to work has been found as a
difficult task.
·
Since the lagoon and costal areas where usually
fishing happens has not been cleaned yet hence it impedes the process of
promoting fishing activities.
·
Only the area of fishing is being catered by most of
the NGOS the other areas. Like
agriculture and animals husbanding has not been feed yet hence a big gab
mentally as well as physically has been observed.
Education
·
Most of the students have not been in school in
months hence motivating them to go to school.
·
Enough room for accommodation of students of
devastated schools
·
Improve the Parents attitude.
·
Facing public exam when living in temporary shelters
like tents
Protection and psychosocial activities
·
Excessive alcoholic consumption
·
Abuse of child hood
·
Law capacity in psychosocial activities
Controlling and protection communicable
deceased
·
Proper drainage
·
Garage disposal
·
Frequent visit of doctors to the camp
·
Separation of patients who were affected by the
communicable deceases.
Reconstructing immediate
infrastructure facilities
·
Providing infrastructure facilities to people who
are living in camps.
·
Access roads
·
Providing electricity
·
Providing water and sanitation
Long term challenges
Permanent shelter
·
Selection of location
·
Structural plans
·
Providing the facilities same as before Tsunami
(e.g. Community building, worship places, crematories.)
·
Shortage of materials
Construction
of prevention structures from Tsunami
·
Selection of raw materials
·
Structural plans
·
Estimating and budgeting
·
Concern the proper access for fishing
Soil improvement to agriculture
·
No proper technicians
·
Since the soil has not improved yet, the farmers
cannot be able to cultivate.
·
The affected area which use to agriculture, now
abounded by cultivators.
Systematic cashew plantation
·
Planning for cashew plantation
·
Improve the soil to accommodate cashew plantation.
Infrastructure
·
Building sustainable roads and bridges.
·
Shortage of materials.
·
Providing water supply facilities.
Psychological treatment
·
Conduct the counseling to psychologically affected
people.
·
Selection of resource persons.