by Victor Cherubim
Cyclone Jal has inundated the town of Muttur with sea water, displacing several families. Besides, about 20 villages in Eachclulampattu division in Muttur are under water since 19 December 2010 following of the opening of the sluice gates of two major irrigation tanks, Kantalai in Trincomalee and Minneriya in Polonnaruwa district, which are in full capacity. Further, flash floods and mudslides have forced over 320,000 people to flee their homes in other parts of North East Sri Lanka.
According to informed sources, the Divisional Secretary of the area has informed that over 150 families have been affected in this disaster in Muttur itself. They are being sheltered at Thakwanger Mosque and Umar Farook Vidyalaya. Ferry services between Uppara and Ganga has been suspended. Streets are largely empty and families have moved to other refugee centres with the peak of flooding expected on Wednesday and Thursday this week.
The most urgent need facing this flood disaster area is for clean water and sanitary conditions. The local wells have become contaminated during the flooding. Purification needs to be restored. But who will restore these services?
We understand that the Government of Sri Lanka is trying to do all what is possible to help the victims; however, international flood relief is slow in coming to help. Muttur, of course is not Rockhampton, Queensland, where the world rushed to help.
Without giving statistics of the dead, the displaced and the damage caused by the floods, what needs to be done immediately is to coordinate any flood relief. Everyone
may not be as sensitive to what needs to be done. Some relief agencies, Red Cross and Sarvayodaya are in the forefront of helping the victims. But it is not enough.
The dichotemy
Disaster Management has always been a fire fighting exercise in Sri Lanka. This needs not to be so, though this current disaster is not in the magnitude of the “tsunami”. Overseas aid is grudgingly too probing of issues of national sovereignty. However, climate change and so called Acts of God have become more frequent. The victims of disasters are thus left to carry the can, cringing for aid. Far reaching and far sighted policies thus become imperative for islands like Sri Lanka, like a flood defence wall on the eastern seaboard. Today, we have Muttur, tomorrow it could be Kathankuddi, Who knows?
The public at large in UK and abroad have always been very charitable and are sympathetic to urgent needs of communities and individuals abroad, who through no fault of their own, but through unforeseen circumstances, are unable to help themselves, with their limited resource at their disposal.
The sacrifices for peace of mind
There is no doubt that it is the people of Sri Lanka who are the benefactors for their sovereignty. The diaspora in the UK and particularly in Canada, understanding this dilemma have taken steps on this occasion to transfer relief materials by motor launch to Muttur as land routes to Trincomalee via Kantalai and Allai have been cut off from the mainland.
Appeals however, we are told have been made to the Department of International Development (DFID,UK) to assist in the immediate supply of water purification facilities, for tents and other urgent and immediate needs for disaster management. Friendly nations have always come to assist. The hope is that the flood waters will recede soon followed by donor aid so that “we don’t create a tsunami out of a disaster”.
(The writer can be reached at victorcherubim@aol.com )
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