" It was the
December 24, 2004, Tsunami that prompted me to go. I was moved
by the pictures showing the destruction in South-East Asia,
and I purchased a plane ticket to Sri Lanka. On the day after
my arrival, I met Michael, a sixty year-old grandfather. He
told me that it was around 9 AM on December 26, when he heard
a noise, as if the Ocean was whistling. Michael had just the
time to get his family out of the house, and to open the back
doors of the church next-door. The first wave carried them
all into the church. The second wav, more powerful, smashed
the front door and pushed Michael out, all the way down to
main road. The third wave was even more powerful: Michael
fainted, and woke up at the hospital a few hours later. He
had been found several hundreds of metres away from his house.
SOLIDARITÉS offered me a position as a field manager
for water-access projects, in order to start running a purification
station at a adequate site, which happens to be located 3
km away from Michael's house. I have been a member of SOLIDARITÉS'
team in Sri Lanka, and I am happy to have been given responsibility
for this position. Every day I'm gaining more experience and
helping the population affected by the Tsunami."
(Reza, field manager for SOLIDARITÉS water access
programmes in the province of Ampara, in Sri Lanka) |
" The initial tests we performed
indicated that the sustained seawater pollution of the wells
was caused by the Tsunami wave, which had submerged and covered
them... Hence the importance of implementing and maintaining
alternative supply solutions (water trucks, connections to
urban water adduction networks): it has allowed us to achieve
a satisfactory sanitary situation. "
(Jean-Pierre, Assistant Director of a chemical engineering
laboratory at the CNRS (French National Centre for Scientific
Research) and a volunteer expert for SOLIDARITÉS in
Sri-Lanka). |
|
PRESENTATION
OF OUR WATER PROGRAMMES
Sri Lanka :
providing drinking water and
hygiene conditions to Tsunami refugees
On December 2004, the Tsunami, a giant tidal wave struck
the coasts of many South-East Asian countries, causing over
290,000 victims, killed or missing. Many infrastructures,
particularly in the vital domain of access to drinking water,
were destroyed. In Sri Lanka alone, the count was 31,000 dead,
4,000 missing, 500,000 displaced persons, 182 schools destroyed
or damaged. A great number of the area's wells were out of
service for many months, as a result of ground water pollution
by seawater.
As soon as January 5, a SOLIDARITÉS emergency team
flew off to Sri Lanka, more specifically to the region of
Ampara, on the East Coast, which had received the full impact
of the Tsunami (the district of Ampara alone counts over 8,000
dead, 2,300 missing, and 127,500 displaced persons hosted
in 118 different camps). In the destroyed coastal villages
and the camps hosting refugees, one of the first priorities
was to provide access to drinking water and sanitation, as
the district's 18,000 wells were out of service.
SOLIDARITÉS swiftly launched an emergency programme
in this domain, which is still operating today.
Emergency Programme for access to
water and sanitation, implemented jointly with the Seine-Normandie
Water Agency ("Agence de l'Eau Seine-Normandie")
and Fondation de France. Period from January 21 to
September 30, 2005, with a budget of 720,000 Euros. A new
programme designed to continue the action is currently being
implemented.
This programme has ensured, for the benefit of over 35,000
Sri Lankans in the district of Ampara:
In terms of access to drinking water:
-
The production of drinking water by using
a purification station (60m3/day)
-
Drinking water transport by trucks (60m3/day)
-
Drinking water storage and supply (100
tanks installed with a capacity of 1,000 to 2,000 litres,
and equipped with a tap.) A person in charge of maintaining
each tank, chosen by local users, was trained by
SOLIDARITÉS
-
The installation of public fountains
-
Extension of adduction networks
-
The cleaning of 500 wells, and periodic
water analyses
-
A salinity survey and a mapping of ground
water capacities
In terms of access to sanitation:
-
The construction of 120 collective latrines
-
The construction or rehabilitation of 380
family latrines
-
The emptying of 1,500 individual or collective
latrines
-
Hygiene promotion for latrine beneficiaries
(A "Hygiene Promotion" group was created early February)
-
The development of 20 washing areas
All along the implementation of these actions, the concerned
Sri Lankan authorities, in particular those in charge of the
sanitary monitoring of well cleaning operations, were consulted
and involved.
SOLIDARITÉS also executed wreckage clearing, dirt roads
construction, and coastal net-fishing rehabilitation programmes.
Today, SOLIDARITÉS' team comprises 10 expatriate volunteers
and around 80 Sri Lankans.
|
