Funded by: Municipality of Vitoria-Gasteiz; Euro 72,000

Locations:

• Kalmunai Municipality

Summary

The Tsunamis of 26 Dec brought massive destruction to the city of Batticaloa, destroying the basic infrastructure serving its poorer communities as well as Municipality support systems. Basic roads, water supply systems, health clinics and administrative offices of the Municipality has been virtually washed away rendering it helpless in the face of the daunting tasks of assisting the affected people. 1594 houses within the Municipal area have been completely destroyed with another 2955 houses badly damaged. The worst affected are the settlements occupied by the poorest and the most vulnerable groups in the city. Majority of the people living in these areas have been obtaining water from shallow wells, which have been contaminated with sea water. The water distribution system through the bowsers also has been affected with off-take wells requiring major repairs and pumps.

Under the UN-Habitat/UNDP Urban Governance Support Programme (UGSP), immediate assistance was provided to clear debris, repair essential services and open up access to the affected settlements. The proposed project is to alleviate some of the pressing needs and to commence a process of rebuilding the devastated communities.

Progress

The project was completed successfully.