A monthly update of the GTZ Jaffna Rehabilitation Project
MARCH 1998
The cruel realities of war, have rendered thousands homeless with no shelter above their heads. Though the bullets have stopped, they have no homes to return to owing to the extensive destruction of private houses and other accommodation in the Jaffna Peninsula.
It is estimated that approximately 81,000 houses are damaged in the Jaffna peninsula, and are in need of urgent rehabilitation. The German Development Bank (KfW) grant of 5 Million Deutsche Mark (Rs.165Min.) has been provided by the German government for the rehabilitation of houses in the Jaffna Peninsula.Priority will be given to rehabilitate war damaged houses in the resettlement areas defined by the authorities in Jaffna. Furthermore, sanitary facilities in schools within this area too will be upgraded under this grant.A third component to be looked at under this programme is the heavily damaged Navatkuli store building. One third of the total storage extent is to be rehabilitated.The entire project is to be steered through the Jaffna Rehabilitation Project of the GTZ. Building and construction material will be purchased locally, and in instances of non-availability will be purchased from Colombo and transported to Jaffna. All transport costs too are included under the grant.
The GTZ expects to rehabilitate total villages, with preference being given to female-headed households; families who have lost their men in the war. It is envisaged that the rehabilitation and construction work will have to be carried out by the recipients of the grant. A team of architects and technical officers of the GTZ will assist local authorities and self-help groups in the rehabilitation work. The project team in Colombo and Jaffna is being supported by GTZ experts who have gathered knowledge in similar exercises in Bosnia and other disaster areas of the world. The agreement between the Resettlement & Rehabilitation Authority for the North (RRAN) and the KfW was concluded in December 1997. The completion date for the targeted 1000 houses, Navatkul stores and the rehabilitation of school sanitation is scheduled for the end of 1999.
The Navatkuli warehouse,
a massive storage complex covering a floor area of 4312 square metres will
be in a suitable condition for storage once the restoration work is complete.
This storage complex which consisted of a rail track and all the necessary infrastructure for proper storage, was destroyed in the prolonged war between the LTTE and government troops. As a first priority, rehabilitation of one third of its total capacity is to be undertaken in order to have suitable storage facilities for emergency supplies. This will greatly enhance the relief work of many NGOs in their quest of relieving the hardships of the people in the Jaffna peninsula. A component of the 5 million Deusche Mark grant which has been made available to the Sri Lankan government by the Kreditanstalt fuer Wiederaufbau (KfW) will be utilised to rehabilitate this warehouse complex. Presently though the walls of the structure are intact, the roof and doors need to be replaced, if it is to be used as a warehouse suitable for the storage of emergency and essential supplies.
Rehabilitation work is
being carried out by the local authorities in the North, together with
the GTZ Jaffna Rehabilitation Project officers and consultants., who are
responsible for the execution of work under this KfW grant.
A German government delegation under
the leadership of Mr. Freiherr Franz von Loe - Ministry of Economic Cooperation
(BMZ) visited the Jaffna Rehabilitation Project from 26th to the 28th of
February 1998. This enabled them to gather first hand information on the
project’s activity and its effectiveness. The other members of the team
comprised of Dr. Hans Dietrich von Bothmer - Deputy Ambassador, German
Embassy and Dr. Reinhard Bolz GTZ Country Representative. This was the
first instance that a German government delegation visited the affected
area in the North.
The effectiveness and content of the
Jaffna Rehabilitation Project will be reviewed at a workshop which is to
be held in Colombo from the 19th to the 21st of March 1998. The GTZ headquarters
has engaged the services of a consultant who will carry out the main evaluation
with the assistance of the United Nations Development Programme (UNDP)
in Sri Lanka and two consultants from the Resettlement & Rehabilitation
Authority for the North (RRAN). Strategies will be reviewed and redefined
for future operations.
