Northern Province: The start of a new project.

Northern Province: The start of a new project.

Our aim in Sri Lanka this year is to complete the resettlement of the people who have become internally-displaced due to the civil war.
　One of the main target areas is Puthukudiyiruppu Divisional Secretariat in Mullaitivu District and JEN has started a new project here, on January 1.
 

Resettlement in this area has only begun last June.
The people in this area had enjoyed prosperous agriculture and commercial fishing before the civil war, but today, we see piles of abandoned objects on the agricultural lands and fishing is forbidden by the Government.

　Repatriated persons are currently living on the daily wage of a project called “Emergency Northern Recovery Project” (ENREP). This is a 45-day project to clear the public spaces and surface the roads with sand and gravel.

The well in the photograph had been dug during the war. You can see that the protective wall that had once surrounded the well has disappeared, making it unsafe for children and elderly people to use.

　Furthermore, since this well can no longer be used for drinking water, the villagers have to travel at least 4 times a day to collect water from another well which is located about 1 to 1.5km away.

　In this area, 6 public wells for drinking water have been cleaned by the Sri Lanka Army; however, this is hardly enough considering the number of residents (750 households, as of January 16).

　JEN will support the resettlement of the repatriated people by repairing and cleaning the wells which had been destructed during the war.