IOM delivers roofing sheets to resettled

Third consignment of donations from India handed over in Vavuniya for final distribution

The third shipment of roofing sheets donated by India for the recently resettled families in the North is being delivered by the International Organization of Migration (IOM).

A statement issued by the IOM said it is to deliver over 75,000 corrugated galvanised iron (CGI) sheets this week.

At the request of the Ministry of Economic Development, IOM will move the CGI sheets in 29 containers from the Port of Colombo to the Divisional Secretariats in Kilinochchi, Mullaitivu, Jaffna, Mannar, and Vavuniya for final distribution, it said.

This 795-tonne consignment is to provide roofing for some 6,200 displaced families returning to their home areas in the north. It is the third Indian aid shipment handled by IOM over the last month.

The first shipment from India contained 48,000 CGI sheets for 4,000 families and the second 37,000 CGI sheets for over 3,000 families, the IOM said.

Local authorities are responsible for distributing the material to the families who have lost their homes due to the decades-long armed conflict. Each family is to receive 12 sheets to assemble an immediate shelter.

The organisation over the past year has helped over 225,000 displaced people to return to their home areas in the north from displacement camps and host families.

IOM says it has already constructed 4,640 transitional shelters using timber frames and CGI sheets and is continuing to build more in a race against time as the monsoon season approaches.

“Despite the success of moving people back to their home areas, there are still significant needs to be addressed in those areas, particularly in terms of providing decent shelter for returnees. India’s generous donation is fulfilling an important role in addressing those needs,” IOM Sri Lanka Chief of Mission Richard Danziger has said.

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