Japan to grant Rs.115 m for de-mining

By Shanika Sriyananda

Extending its support in humanitarian de-mining to make Sri Lanka a mine-free country by 2020, the Japanese Government has granted Rs. 115.4 m for two local non-governmental organizations - Delvon Assistance for Social Harmony Sri Lanka (DASH) and the SKAVITA Humanitarian Assistance and Relief Project (SHARP), yesterday. 

The Japanese Government has provided this grant under its Grant Assistance for Grassroots Human Security Project (GGP) to continue the de-mining activities of these two NGOs in the North. 

The two Grant Contracts were signed yesterday between the Japanese Ambassador Kenichi Suganuma and the Programme Managers of the DASH and SHARP Brigadier (Rted) Ananda Chandrasiri and Lt Col (Retd) V. S. M. Jayawardhana respectively at the Japanese Embassy in Colombo.

Japanese funds will be utilised in two projects – the ‘De-mining in the Northern Province of Sri Lanka’ by DASH, which received Rs. 83.9 m and ‘Manual De-mining in the Northern Province of Sri Lanka’ by SHARP which received Rs. 31.4 m - to expedite de-mining activities and make former minefields safe for people to return and commence their livelihood activities. 

Japan has been a major donor, supporting mine clearance in Sri Lanka to accelerate the resettlement of Internally Displaced Persons and to facilitate engagement in agriculture and other livelihood activities of returnees. 

Since 2003, the Japanese Government has provided nearly $ 29.5 m for de-mining activities in the north and the east under its Grant Assistance schemes. 

“The DASH and SHARP, as they said, need to do a lot in humanitarian de-mining in the north. Rehabilitation of the war affected areas of Sri Lanka is one of the priorities of the Japanese Government to boost our cooperation with Sri Lanka,” Ambassador Suganuma said.

He noted that de-mining was one of the most important pillars of rehabilitating former mine zones. “De-mining is an activity which needs lots of patience and care by those who are involved in risky these risky operations,” he said, urging both NGOs to expedite their work to make the country mine-free by 2020.

Program Manager of DASH Brig. (Retd) Ananda Chandrasiri said Japan was very special to DASH, because it was through Japanese funding that DASH was able to embark on mine action in Sri Lanka as an independent organisation in 2010.

“Japan’s continuous funding support to DASH since then has ensured safe return of a large number of IDPs. The Japan-funded DASH project has cleared 4.6 square kilometres of land and removed 31,296 anti-personnel mines, 58 anti-tank mines and 30,431 items of explosive remnants of war,” he said.

DASH handled de-mining operations in Kilinochchi, Mullaitivu and Vavuniya districts and has a workforce of 400 de-miners.

“Nearly 90% of the de-miners are Tamils and the rest are Sinhalese and Muslims. Over 25% of them are females and most of them are widows, single-parents and breadwinners,” he said, adding that DASH intends to contribute to rehabilitate conflict-affected people and villages of Sri Lanka.

 Programme Manager of the SHARP Lt Col (Retd) V. S. M. Jayawardhana said that the SHARP has been able to provide employment for ex-LTTE combatants as de-miners.

“We started our de-mining activities in 2014 and we are the second-largest local NGO that is handling de-mining activities in the north. SHARP was formed to share our knowledge and experience to clear former minefields laid by both the Sri Lankan military and the LTTE, to protect people - especially children and youth who are living in the former conflict zones - from being subjecting to deadly injuries due to mines and other unexploded items and also to help them to return to their own lands to start livelihood activities,” he explained.