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| SRI LANKA Post-Tsunami
Consolidated Assessment |
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| 22 April 2005 |
Contents:
Introduction
Overview
Tsunami Impact Assessment
Post-Tsunami
The way forward
Sources |
Introduction |
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Sri Lanka was devastated by the tsunami along 1200km (68%) of
its 1770km costal belt. Twelve of the fourteen coastal districts,
were affected, only in the North-Western region the damage was
minimal. The island has never experienced a devastation of this
magnitude, whether natural or man-made, in its recorded history.
The disaster, as at 1 February 2005, has claimed over 30,000
lives and affected more than 212,000 families in the coastal
belt. The furthest distance to which the marauding seawater
came overland was around 2-3 kilometers from the coast; resulting
in complete damage to most of the seawater sensitive crops.
After fisheries, the agricultural sector is the sector hardest
hit by the disaster. This refers not only to farm fields, but
also to the thousands of small homegardens that farmers, villagers
and fishermen use to grow vegetables and fruit trees. These
homegardens supply a significant part of the household's nutritional
needs. As they were located in the vilages close to the sea,
these homegardens were largely destroyed and the crops lost. |
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| Map of the
region |
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| In the first week of January a group
of FAO and the Ministry of Agriculture Livestock Land and Irrigation
(MALLI) jointly visited the affected areas and made preliminary assessments
of the damage to both fisheries and agriculture. This and other missions
have provided a consolidated assessment of the damages and the resilience
of the agricultural system. An in-depth mission recently looked in-depth
to salinity issues resulting from the tsunami. |
Overview |
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Agricultural production in the country is divided into two production
zones: the Yala season (mostly in the south and east) with rainfall
between March and August, and the Maha season (all over the
country) with rainfall between September and January. Except
for Galle and Matara, all districts are situated in the dry
zone of the lowlands. Hambantota is the driest district with
a 75% expectancy annual rainfall of 750 mm followed by Jaffna
and Mulaitivu with 800 mm. Ampara, Batticaloa and Trincomalee
have a 75% expectancy annual rainfall of between 900 and 1300
mm. Average annual evapotranspiration in Batticaloa is around
1400 mm. Annual rainfall is 1790 mm giving a rainfall surplus
of 400 mm per year. The rainfall surplus occurs over a period
of 5 months, from October to February during which the total
surplus is nearly 1000 mm. The drier districts have an annual
rainfall deficit. Data for Jaffna show that the annual deficit
is 125 mm and that a rainfall surplus of approximately 600 mm
occurs over a period of 3 months. |
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| Assessing
the damages in the field |
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| Meteorological data from Trincomalee give an annual
rainfall deficit of 145 mm, while Galle District has an annual rainfall
surplus of approximately 1700 mm per year. |
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| Mullaitivu affected and
without fresh water resources |
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Except for limited areas of
paddy crops under irrigation in Ampara, Hambantota and Mullaitivu
districts and expensive cash crops like chili, onion, capsicum,
etc. under well or lift irrigation in Trincomalee, Mullaitivu
and Jaffna districts, the rest of the Tsunami affected coastal
areas are not suitable for crops either due to dryness or lack
of land due to over-population in the wet zone. Though the economic
losses from this type of agriculture cannot be estimated accurately
it is definitely substantial and has a justifiable claim for
assistance for immediate restoration. Coconut and to a lesser
extent cashew are the only cash crop widely produced in semi-arid
areas along the coastal belts. Where agriculture exists, farm
holdings vary in size from 0.2 to 0.4 hectares in wetter western
and southern areas to 0.8 to 1.2 hectares in drier northern
and eastern areas. Home gardens are a very important source
of nutrients for the diets of farming and fishing families.
Typically, these cover about half an acre and produce a wide
range of vegetables and fruit, including pulse crops, leafy
and other vegetables and fruits like mango, banana, pomegranate,
as well as medicinal plants. |
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| A distinction in agricultural practices
should be made between paddy cultivation and horticulture, where paddy
areas can be subdivided into irrigated and rainfed paddy cultivation.
Vegetables and fruits are grown mainly on Regosols close to the beach.
These are very deep structureless, excessively drained sandy soils
(>3m), with only a thin layer of fertile top soil developed due to
intensive cultivation. Vegetables are also grown on other well-drained
soils further inland. Vegetables are generally planted after the peak
of the wet seasons (Yala and Maha). Irrigation is used in the dry
periods following the monsoon. Irrigated paddy normally occupies the
alluvial soils along the coast and other soils characterized by poorly
drained fine-textured, clayey soils. Surface drainage is normally
good with outlets to rivers or small lagoons formed where rivers and
streams flow into the ocean. In the larger irrigation systems rice
is cultivated both in the Yala and Maha seasons. Rainfed paddy and
tank-irrigated paddy in the dry-zone is restricted to the Maha season.
Rainfed paddy is found in several places along the coast and is situated
on a variety of soils; all characterized by poor drainage and or high
groundwater tables. |
Tsunami Impact Assessment |
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| Farmer inspecting damage
and debris on his land |
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Many communities have voluntarily hosted tsunami survivors in
tents, temporary settlements or their own houses. Many of these
communities have potentially productive land that is currently
under-developed. As one community leader commented, internally
displaced persons will provide casual labor in the short-term
and will increase the community's economic wealth if they reside
permanently. Voluntary relocation of internally displaced persons
(IDP), with the consent of host communities, is an alternative
that requires careful consideration. Social fragmentation and
trauma at the family and community level is enormous and will
remain a major problem for many years. Many of the survivors
are male heads of families and, at the time of the tsunami,
were either fishing or working on their land away from their
villages and survived by riding the surge in the open sea or
by climbing trees. |
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The number of farming families affected
by the Tsunami totals 9,048 and the total extent of damage to agricultural
land is slightly over 4,200 hectares. The damage to agriculture in
Tsunami affected areas could be broadly categorized into crops, agricultural
lands, irrigation structures, drinking and irrigation water, livestock,
agriculture services, agricultural enterprises and infrastructure.
As the tsunami hit in the Maha (wet) season, paddy was the hardest
hit mono-crop, next to fruits and vegetables grown in homegardens.
The total number of home garden units affected is estimated to 27,710
units.
| District
|
Number
of farm families |
Extent
of damage (ha.) |
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| Paddy
|
Vegetables
|
Other
field crops |
Fruits
|
Others
|
Total
(ha.) |
| Kaluthara |
88 |
0.1 |
0.2 |
0 |
4.4 |
0.1 |
4.8 |
| Galle |
1041 |
160.0 |
32.6 |
0.2 |
35.4 |
39.1 |
267.1 |
| Matara |
337 |
113.6 |
7.7 |
32.6 |
1.2 |
0.0 |
122.5 |
| Hambantota |
696 |
261.2 |
23.9 |
7.7 |
22.6 |
4.9 |
314.7 |
| Ampara |
2614 |
1737.2 |
283.0 |
23.9 |
0 |
0 |
2020.2 |
| Batticaloa |
2355 |
62.7 |
116.5 |
283.0 |
59.7 |
89.1 |
369.1 |
| Trincomalee |
803 |
84.0 |
8.7 |
116.5 |
12.8 |
0 |
222.4 |
| Mulaitivu |
556 |
706.1 |
10.0 |
8.7 |
0 |
0 |
755.1 |
| Jaffna |
558 |
92.3 |
0 |
47.8 |
0.6 |
0.4 |
141.2 |
| All areas
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9048
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3541
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483
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247
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137
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134
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4217
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Initially, salinity was expected to be a major problem, as the country
has experience with irrigation-induced salinity problems. However,
salinity levels in especially the light textured soils in the wetter
areas of the Dry Zone reduced drastically after heavy rains (170 to
over 250mm) and flooding soon after the Tsunami. Salinity levels (ECe)
measured in the field three months after the tsunami range from 1-5
dS/m. Normal soil salinity levels range between 0.25 and 1 dS/m. In
some low lying, less well drained areas salinity remains higher. Drier
districts such as Mulaitivu, Jaffna and Hambantota have received little
or no rainfall. Soil salinity levels remain high i.e. ECe values in
Mulaitivu and Jaffna are still between 6 - 25 dS/m. Groundwater (which
is usually at a depth of 1.5-2m) follows the same trend as soil salinity.
The salinity of the groundwater also changes with the location, land
elevation above sea level, and permeability of the soil/rock formation
below groundwater level. It is expected that with the monsoon rains
salts will be flushed out naturally. With regard to the ability to
reclaim these lands the following estimation was made by a FAO-Salinity
expert:
To see the table click
here
As salinity poses relatively minor problems to land rehabilitation,
other rehabilitation issues become more important. Trash and debris,
mostly uprooted and broken shrubs/trees and parts of damaged structures,
are scattered in the agricultural lands making cultivation dependent
on their removal. In some areas gullies were formed and scouring of
soils has taken place due to the rush of water, which needs immediate
reclamation and conservation for crop production. Many of the paddy
bunds have been washed away. |
| Sedimentation is not assessed
as a major problem, since the depth of deposit is small, probably
between 1 and 5 cm and can be mixed with the top-soil without
risk of fertility loss. Saline seawater contaminated agro-wells
and domestic water supply systems. Salinity levels in the wells
remain high, also where fields have been leached by precipitation.
Irrigation and drainage canals within 200m of the coastline
were severely damaged. To some extent infrastructure further
upstream was damaged by the tsunami and subsequent floods. It
is estimated that this extends to 1,500km of canals and it is
important that these structures be urgently reinstated so that
farmers can carry out soil leaching, where precipitation fails.
In general, most affected lands in Sri Lanka fall in Class A
and the rest in Class B of the FAO-land rehabilitation classification. |
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| With irrigation
farmers could return to normal quite soon |
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| In the affected areas, livestock is
not of high economic value, but has an important role in food security
at household level. Estimated livestock losses are about 7,580 cattle,
49,000 buffalo, 14,170 goats, 120 pigs and 148,500 poultry. Cattle,
goats and poultry were especially affected and a relatively higher
proportion of buffalo appears to have survived. The tsunami has had
a much wider impact on the farming system, as many landless workers
(often fishermen) have died in the floods. Furthermore, farmers lost
their assets (cash, building, seeds, tools, etc) and agricultural
support systems have suffered capacity losses. There has been significant
damage to Agrarian Service Centers and to the facilities of private
sector providers in the affected areas. Repair and replacement are
urgently needed in order for extension services to be able to effectively
help the recovery of farming communities. The equipment of the veterinary
and livestock improvement services will need to be re-established
to ensure full support for livestock farmers. Due to the total damage
near the coast and the obliteration of landmarks and delineations,
land rights are difficult to assess and are contested. |
Post-tsunami recovery |
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Immediately after the tsunami struck the Government of Sri Lanka declared
a state of emergency and mobilized rescue services and humanitarian
assistance. These actions were complemented by support programs by
NGOs from Sri Lanka and overseas. In addition, bilateral and international
agencies met with government officials to agree on emergency and development
assistance. As part of this effort, FAO initiated emergency distribution
of equipments: mainly irrigation pumps to evacuate sea water from
the farm land in water-logged or poorly drained areas, sprayer equipment,
EC/pH meters to monitor the extent and severity of soil salinity as
well as water quality in wells, and hand tools to help farmers cleaning
their fields, reconstructing bunds and desilting drainage. In regions
where irrigation or high precipitation watered the fields farmers
were quickly back into business. Young paddy survived the waves in
many places. The general salinity assessment mentioned earlier concluded
that 40% of the fields are already suitable for cultivation during
Yala and 90% during the coming Maha-season. Only rainfed paddy fields
will likely need more time to recover. |
The way forward |
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The strategy for rehabilitation and development that is jointly
developed by MALLI and FAO is intended to not only restore the
pre-tsunami situation, but to facilitate further development
in the medium- and long term. All development plans will be
based on a set of guiding principles: • Recovery
should be focused on all tsunami-affected areas and decided
according to need;
• All developments
should aim to alleviate poverty and reduce vulnerability;
• All activities should be based on the principle
of subsidiarity;
• All decisions should be
community-led and have a coordinated approach;
•
All developments should emphasize a participatory approach and
be gender sensitive;
• Broad based communications
and transparency should be emphasized;
• Individual
interventions should reflect environmental priorities.
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| Salinity Management
Training in Batticaloa |
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The recovery strategy aims first to assist farming communities to
re-establish their farming activities and restart economic activity
so as to rebuild their assets. Activities are prioritized into short
and medium term according to the needs. Functioning irrigation and
drainage systems will be critical for the effective restoration and
improvement of agriculture lands. Normal paddy irrigation will also
contribute to field recovery. The Yala season commences in April and
it is important to ensure that the maximum area possible will be cultivated
during this season. This will require a concerted effort to supply
inputs, assets and organize rehabilitation works as well as continuous
monitoring. Support services will be strengthened to help vitalizing
a healthy farming community. Rehabilitation needs an integrated approach,
accommodating local projects and thereby not fearing creative solutions
as supplying potted plants to people in camps to revive the homegarden-culture.
On the short-term FAO will also proceed to distribute training modules
on salinity management and facilitate the continued monitoring, analysis
and management of salinity and other land reclamation issues. This
builds on the trainings already provided by earlier missions. |
Sources |
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Main sources for this brief were reports of the initial FAO-assessment
and the report of salinity expert Neeltje Kielen.
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