Snakebites and Food Supply are Major Critical Problems – TRO, Kilinochchi


(Tamil Insight, 2008 11 15) - “Snakebites are causing severe problems to the IDPs due to areas that were not formerly inhabited being used for IDPs and a lack of adequate amounts of anti-snakebite serum available in the Vanni due to the quota of medicine requested by the Health authorities not being delivered. The heavy monsoon rains have also forced snakes out of their hiding places. Other health issues faced are resurgence of Malaria and an increasing number of cases of diarrhoea due to the overcrowded conditions and the monsoon rains”, Tamils Rehabilitation Organization (TRO), a local-NGO attending to the relief needs of the more than 320,000 Internally Displaced Persons (IDPs) in Vanni said , in a report issued this week from its headquarters in Kilinochchi.

Food supply, and distribution are major critical problems facing the IDPs, the report said pointing to the the delays and restrictions imposed by the Government of Sri Lanka and the SL Ministry of Defense (MoD). Lack of maintenance of internal roadways, added to the damages caused by the monsoonal rains, have further aggravated the distribution difficulties, the report added.

“Food and medicine approved by the Commissioner General of Essential Services (CGES) and the relevant ministry are also often blocked or delayed,” the report said.

Needs for 230,000 recent IDPS: 2500 – 3000 Metric tons of food per month. Delivery of WFP convoys since the departure of the UN:iNGOs on September 15: - October 3: 59 lorries, 650 Mettric tons; October 17: 50 lorries 750 MT; November 3: 29 lorries 338 MT.

TRO said in the report that local community leaders are brought to the forefront in attending to identifying and managing local communities. A community, religious leader is appointed as head of a group of 300 families, which are then co-ordinated by Community Based Organizations (CBOs), that cover several Grama Sevakar Divisions. Each CBO has a co-ordinator and a Rescue and Emergency Operation team to attend to the emergency needs of the area, the report said.

TRO is also conducting volunteer training to equip residents to deal with the exigencies of the war.

The TRO listed the following as the urgently needed items:
• Roofing sheets, cement, tarpaulin to build shelters for 15,130 families
• 5000 temporary toilets
• Non-food relief items to 20,000 families
• Maternity kits for 3000 new expectant women
• Baby kits to 3000 babies
• Mosquito nets, water filters, water purification tablets
• fuel, water pumps/bowsers, health services equipment including ICUs

The full report is in PDF format.

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