Resources / WASH in Emergencies: Conflict Affected Areas in Sri Lanka

Summary

At one point the number of internally displaced people in so-called “welfare villages” in parts of northern and eastern Sri Lanka was around 200,000. All required water, sanitation and hygiene, but security problems prevented voluntary services from helping them. Other problems included land mines, broken water pipes, lack of funding and expertise, and a shortage of construction materials. However, in 2009, a mobile water quality monitoring system was introduced, caste problems were resolved, and sanitation and hygiene core groups aimed at restoring a healthy society were established.