Kilinochchi District

Affected Divisional Secretary Divisions

(1) Karachchi,

(2) Kandawalai,

(3) Poonakari,

(4) Pachchilaipalli

Affected People

• Number of affected families : 35,660
• Total number of affected persons: 141,834
• Total number of deaths: 32
• Number of persons in welfare camps at the initial stage: 49,413
• Number of families who were in welfare camps at the initial stage: 10,636
• Number of welfare camps at initial stage: 22

Damages to Different Sectors

Sector	Nature of the Damage	Estimated Cost (Rs. mn)
Housing	2,427 houses damaged	456.75
Fisheries	852 boats, 596 Out Board Motor boats and a large number of nets damaged	316.8
Education	01 school damaged	65.0
Health		7.0
Road	861 Km damaged	759.4
Electricity	02 villages affected	325.4
Water Supply	01 scheme damaged	410.2
Tourism		150
Agriculture		163.5
Administration (Public Institutions)	04 institutions damaged.	40.0
Community and Township Development		612.3
Total		3306.35

Actions Taken

• District administration, LTTE and Tamils Rehabilitation Organization (TRO) together formed an Emergency Task Forces to handle the post tsunami relief activities.

• Relief activities were implemented by the district administration with the support of local people, local organizations, international community and INGOs.
• 16 state-owned land parcels have been identified for relocation of 1,827 families.
• Affected people who came from adjoining districts were located in the Kalluru Welfare Centre. Actions have been taken to locate them in permanent houses in Kalluru with the financial assistance of Government (Rs.450, 000.00 per house).

Confronted Problems and Issues

• Mental depression of the affected people.
• Loss of breadwinners of families.
• Water supply and sanitation issues in welfare camps.
• Lack of management skills and awareness among communities in recovery efforts.
• Some people are reluctant to settle in new relocations.
• Conflict between the tsunami affected and war affected people on relief measures.
• No immediate possibility to undertake infrastructure development.
• Shortages of building materials such as timber and rubble and skilled manpower like masons and carpenters.
• No common agreement between the Government and the local authorities regarding the boundaries of the coastal buffer zone.

Challenges Ahead

• Allocation of suitable lands outside buffer zones.
• Uncertainties among people to be relocated in new settlements regarding their traditional occupations.
• Counseling the victims and confidence building.
• Consensus on buffer zones has to be reached by interested parties.
• Alternative building materials have to be identified to meet the immediate requirements.

Way Forward

• Organizing a community based representation body to deal with infrastructure and housing requirements thus enabling community to participate in rebuilding process.
• Damaged infrastructure facilities of fishing industry have to be rehabilitated and reconstructed.
• Transport of building materials, fishing crafts and other equipment from South has to be facilitated.
• Initiatives have to be taken to ensure free movement of citizens in the areas affected by war and battered by the tsunami.
• In counseling, war and tsunami victims should be treated equally.
• Grant assistance to the affected families who own lands outside the buffer zone should be provided to construct houses, without delay.
• New construction technology associated with low cost and time saving, introduced by the NERD should be promoted.
• Special vocational training programmes should be conducted in the district to meet the requirements of skilled personnel.

EXPERIENCE AND THE CHALLENGES AHEAD

KILINOCHCHI DISTRICT

Background

The Tsunami of 26 Dec. 2004 brought severe damaged destruction in Kilinochchi, one of the worst affected 03 district in the Northern Province. Through the number of deaths is comparatively less in this district, the damage caused to the houses and infrastructure has been substantial. This has placed additional burden and strain on the impoverished population of the district which had been suffering from the destruction and damage caused by the protracted ethnic conflict for more than two decades. In addition to the affected people of this district there was an influx of affected people from adjoining districts of Jaffna and Mullaitivu district. 26,310 people from other districts were staying in Welfare Centres and friends and relatives. At present most of them were relocated in Maruthankerni area. Action is being taken to relocate 250 families in Kallaru. 175 families were relocated in temporary transit camp in Kallaru and others will be relocated after temporary transit camp construction is over. Initially, we were maintained 22 Welfare centres and all those Welfare Centres have been closed.

The Kilinochchi district Administration along with the LTTE and TRO formed an Emergency Task Force and attend to the needs of the Tsunami victims such as evacuation, arranging welfare centres, cooked meals, in a large scale deploying all resources in the district to their maximum.

This crash programme organized by the special task force has evacuated the victims with least possible delay, win the confidence of the people, the Government and International community at large.

The twenty years experience with the sufferings, frequent displacements and loss of life that accompanied by arms conflict is very much less to that of the suffering caused by Tsunami Tidal waves on the spur of the moment. We can never fully restore what the Tsunami has taken but we can extend our helping hand to the survivors, do whatever is possible at least to reduce their suffering and rebuild the nation for the future, which involves relief for immediate needs and plans for reconstruction. We can reconstruct and rehabilitate all that sea has taken, except life. Most of the people affected by Tsunami are the poorest of the poor.

District profile – Kilinochchi

Location and area

Kilinochchi district is situated in the Northern part of the Island. It covers a land area of approximately 1237 sq.k.m. The average density of population is 124 per sq.km.

Boundaries

Northern - Jaffna district

Eastern and Southern - Mullaitivu district

Western and southern - Mannar district.

Administrative setup

The district is divided in to 4 Administrative divisions, consisting of 95 G.S. divisions and comprising 324 villages

No. of G.S. Divisions No. of Villages

Karaichchi 42 90

Kandawalai 16 98

Poonakari 19 93

Pachchilaipalli 18 43

Total 95 324

Population

The total estimated population inclusive of those displaced and accommodated in this district amount to 141.834.

The table below presents the details.

D.S. Division No. of No. of

Families Members

Karachchi 18,746 73,159

Kandawalai 8,253 33,231

PoonKari 5,998 25,352

Pachchilaipalli 2,663 10,092

35,660 141,834

Economic activities

Agriculture is the major occupation of more than 80% of the population. Fisheries are the second largest occupation. There are 30 fishing villages dotted along a coast line of 91 k.m. covering the ocean in the Western coast and the sea in the Eastern Coast and the lagoon in the middle part separating the mainland from the peninsula region.

The extent of damage

The district has a coastal area of 91 k.m. in length consisting of three belts. However traditionally our district fishermen are fishing in Chundikulam area of costal belt adjoining Jaffna and Mullaitivu coast.

Ocean in the Western side - 30 k.m.

Sea in the Eastern side - 08 k.m.

Area bordering the Jaffna lagoon - 53 k.m.

91 k.m

Since the Tsunami tidal waves destruction was severe in the Eastern coast compared to that of the Western Coastal belt and lagoon area deaths and destruction have been comparatively less in the district as the district has only an 8 k.m. long coast line along the eastern side. However prior to Tsunami disaster there were about 3580 families who had lost their houses and property due to the ethnic conflict which had caused severe hardships to the population of the coastal area.

The housing problems in the coastal areas of the district at present could be discerned from the date presented below:

	Karachchi	Kandawalai	Poonakari	Pachchilaipalli	Total
1. Houses damaged due to ethnic conflict (in the coastal belt)	Nil	673	2101	806	3580
2. Houses damaged due to Tsunami	*42	15	49	182	288
		688	2150	988	3868

* Resided in Poonagary division for fishing purposes.

It could be seen that efforts made by the fishing population of the district to restart their lives after the cessation of hostilities in 2002 were nullified by Tsunami disaster and the people have been rendered homeless and displaced once again.

The Tsunami has also aggravated the housing problem due to two factors.

1. Influx of displaced fishing families into Kilinochchi after Tsunami.

2. The need for relocation of people who had their dwellings within the 300 meters buffer zone.

The table below presents the details of relocation.

	Karaichchi	Kandawalai	Poonakari	Pachchilaipalli	Total
Displaced families who have come into the district and want to be relocated in the district	62	212	49	34	357
To be relocated due to 300 meter buffer zone	*42	338	942	148	1470
Total No. of families to be relocated	104	550	991	182	1827

Lands have been identified in 16 different villages spread throughout the district for relocation of 1827 families. The details are as follows:

Pradeshiya Sabha Division	D.S. Division	No. of Villages Identified	No. to be Relocated
Karachchi	1. Karachchi 2. Kandawalai	01 03	104 550
Sub Total