TSUNAMI Sri Lanka

The tsunami that hit Sri Lanka’s northern and eastern coasts on 26 December 2004 resulted in serious loss of life and substantial material for the small island. The tsunami killed over 35,000 people and initially displaced up to 1 million persons out of a population of 21.4 million.

Impact

Human

People killed : 35,322

People injured : 21,441

Internally displaced people (IDPs) : 515,150

Economic

Value of lost assets : US $900 million

Lost livelihoods : 150,000

Houses damaged : 98,000

Social

Children who lost one parent : 3954*

Children who lost both parents : 979*

Total widowed,

orphaned and elderly and disabled : 40,000

Schools damaged : 182

Schools used as camps for IDPs : 446

School children affected : 200,000

Source: Post Tsunami Recovery and Reconstruction. Joint report of the Government of Sri Lanka and Development Partners December 2005

* Source: UNICEF Sri Lanka

Cleaning of Tsunami Affected Dug Wells

> Pumping to clean wells should only be done to remove debris and sludge, and not in the attempt to decrease salinity.

> The lesser the aquifer is pumped in this phase, the sooner the natural recover post-tsunami will occur.

> Over pumping of wells in costal areas can cause infiltration of saline water.

> Wells must not be emptied.

> The practice to empty the wells with strong overpumping, in order to make them accessible for debris cleaning, must be banned.

> Organizations that do not have the proper equipment, or adequately trained personnel, should be discouraged from rehabilitating wells.

> It is not possible to properly monitor the well cleaning, or strong well abstraction, without a conductivity meter.

> Data regarding the salinity of the aquifer, well cleaning, aquifer monitoring, including GPS coordinates, should be collected according to standard formats, and data shared with the partners through the water and sanitation coordination groups in the Districts.

> Whoever abstracts water from a well in coastal areas with motorized pumps must monitor the salinity of the well on a regular base.

> If salinity in a well increases, pumping must stop immediately.

> Shock chlorination is an emergency procedure and must be conducted only in case of effective need. Refer to Annex 2 for recommendations on shock chlorination procedures.

> Chlorination of wells to purify the water for human consumption is discouraged. Chlorination, or any other suitable water treatment, should be done after water is abstracted from wells, before final consumption.

> Wells intended to provide water for human consumption should be properly sealed. Contamination from surface water and debris must be ensured. Wells for human consumption should meet all the standards of a protected source.

> Whenever possible, rehabilitation of wells should include all works needed to improve the protection of the well.

> Whenever water form an unprotected source has to be used, in emergency, water purification is needed.

> Hygiene promotion and rising awareness on the importance of clean water should be part of any well rehabilitation project.

> Wells must not be deepened in coastal areas in the attempt to reduce salinity, or increase abstraction rates. Hand dug wells with tendency to get dry during dry season should be deepened up to two meters below the minimum seasonal water level.

> Before proceeding with a rehabilitation campaign, the general situation of the salinity in the area, and the reasonable best possible target for the rehabilitation, should be known.

> It is advisable that organizations involved in well rehabilitation develops internal protocols, to serve as a guideline for the field staff, designed on the base of the present principles, and prepared by specialist technical staff. Adequate training of local field staff is of primary importance.

> Advise can be obtained via the local Water and Sanitation Coordination Groups at District level.