Longer term alternative shelter needed for landslides-displaced: OCHA

A United Nations agency says there is a need for longer term alternative shelter options for the landslides-displaced people in Sri Lanka because the communities in landslide affected areas will not be able return to their place or origin because of the ongoing threat from further landslides.

The United Nations Office for the Coordination of Humanitarian Affairs (OCHA) in its first situation report which covers the period from 15 - 22 May said a sizeable segment of the flood affected population are squatters living in vulnerable areas prone to frequent flooding and therefore transitional shelter arrangements maybe required until suitable land is identified for relocation.

The agency notes that the Identification of suitable locations for transitional shelter arrangements is challenging in the densely populated urban areas of Colombo and Gampaha.

According to the Disaster Management Centre of Sri Lanka, as of Monday 126,666 people belonging to 26,536 families are still housed in 268 shelters across the island. While 525 houses are fully damaged, 4,053 houses are partially damaged.

Meanwhile, OCHA report says many areas remain inaccessible and without health support and as a result of the large quantities of standing water, communities are increasingly at risk of skin diseases, leptospirosis,  and water and vector- borne  diseases.

The Government has indicated that the food needs of affected populations are met for the next five days. However, in the longer term, individuals who have lost their assets, sources of livelihood and agricultural land will need support to ensure access to adequate food, the OCHA said.

The UN agency also said that a massive influx of cooked food, non-food items and relief from the general public and private sector was noted in urban and rural areas affected by floods and landslides. However, this has resulted in difficulties of crowd controlling, effective relief distribution and limited coordination of relief donation.