When floods threatened the livelihood of
villagers and affected their ready source of clean water, a four-member
Singaporean team made up of volunteers from the Singapore International
Foundation (SIF), under its Humanitarian Relief Programme responded to
the call for assistance in Matara District, one of the five badly affected
areas, in Sri Lanka.
The Singaporean team was involved in
a joint-project with a local non-government organisation (NGO) Sarvodaya
that initiated the biological decontamination of wells in areas affected
by the floods. Called Project H2O, the 11-day project aimed to provide
on-the-job training and assistance to local NGO through the provision of
necessary equipment for well decontamination and water testing.
Involving the local community
Well-water is the main source of water supply to most of the villagers. Wells, particularly those in the low-lying areas, ran the risk of being tainted by the floods, depriving the villagers of clean drinking water.
Working hand-in-hand with their Sri Lankan counterparts, the Singaporean team involved the villagers in the well decontamination process. Having explained the process, the local community was involved in identifying the wells which were badly affected by the floods. These wells were then drained of their water, decontaminated and left overnight for the ground water to resurface.
The team then worked with the community to identify other wells which were affected by the floods. Based on assessments such as proximity to sewage pits or dumps, the water condition and number of villagers falling sick from consumption of the water in the wells, the team then administered the appropriate measure of decontamination for the respective wells.
Challenging task
Recounting his experience, Singapore Red Cross staff Mr Sahari Ani, who was part of the Singaporean team said, "The flash flood had destroyed roads and cut the access to many locations. Accessibility was made worse by muddy tracks that made travelling in a vehicle difficult. Our team had to borrow wheelbarrows so that we could trudge through the muddy footpaths, with 15-kilo water pumps. It was physically exhaustive, given the humid and warm climate. The intensity of movement from location to location also made the task more challenging."
Although challenging, the team decontaminated more than 120 wells. They also trained and educated the villagers in safe water storage and domestic hygiene.
The disaster
The disaster, which struck the southern and south-western parts of Sri Lanka on 17 May, affected more than 160,000 families and killed 250 people. Thousands of homes were destroyed and many were rendered without shelters over their heads. Electricity supplies have also been disrupted in many areas. The number of cases of diarrhoea, eye and skin diseases is reportedly on the rise. This could pose a potential health problem in some areas of the district.
The Red Cross/Red Crescent response
Since the onset of the disaster, the Sri Lanka Red Cross Society (SLRCS) has been conducting ongoing assessments, distributing food from emergency stocks and containers for storing clean water. The SLRCS, the International Federation and the International Committee of the Red Cross (ICRC) coordinated relief efforts with the government and several NGOs in a bid to assist those affected. SLRCS volunteers were mobilised into teams and convoys of aid to affected areas. 25,000 food parcels have been dispatched to the districts of Ratnapura, Galle, Matara, Kalutara and Hambantota and 140,000 sachets of water purifier ordered for distribution to affected families for purifying water. The ICRC also provided 60,000 litres of clean water to the affected areas.
The International Federation has also launched an appeal for US$1.2 million to assist 125,000 people for three months to address their most pressing needs of food, clothing, shelter materials, clean water and sanitation. Earlier, CHF 50,000 (US$ 38,500) from the Federation's emergency relief funds for the immediate purchase of relief items for the flood victims. In response to the catastrophe, the Singapore Red Cross donated USD $20,000 (S$34,690) to the Sri Lanka Red Cross to provide emergency relief supplies to those affected by the flash floods and landslides.