Covenant World Relief is responding to the recent flooding in Sri Lanka through World Relief International and the local partner Alliance Development Trust. World Relief and Alliance Development Trust have been working together since the tsunami in 2005. Over one million people have been affected by the recent flooding with over 350,000 people displaced. We are responding by distributing food and non-food items as well as developing wells.<\/p>\n
In a recent update from World Relief:<\/p>\n
Most of the main roads have been damaged in these districts and water and electricity supplies in the affected areas have been seriously disrupted.\u00a0All wells have got polluted due to overflow of septic tanks and there is a scarcity of drinking water.\u00a0 Thousands of houses have been damaged\/ destroyed and the livelihoods of people especially low income families have been severely affected.\u00a0 In the worst affected districts of Batticaloa, Kandy and Pollannaruwa, paddy & vegetable lands have been severely inundated by extensive flooding.\u00a0 Initial estimates indicate over 250,000 acres of crop land have been impacted, with moderate to severe damage to over 200,000 acres.\u00a0 Rapid appraisal estimates indicate over 80% of crop lands are damaged in Batticaloa. There are also reports of significant damage to crops lands in Kandy and Polonnarurwa Districts. It is expected that prices of rice and other commodities may increase in the short term, and that food security of families may be compromised till the next harvest. Other crops including vegetables and perennial crops were damaged in flood and landslide-affected districts.<\/p>\n