Right to Health of Internally Displaced Persons - IDP SriLanka

Another pathetic situation when they are using jungle at night and early
in the morning is the security of women and children and this has to be
serioursly conserned for thire protection and security. Manalchenai
Transit camp is located in Muthur DS division, Trincomalee possessing
IDPs from Batticaloa and Trincomalee now providing shelter to 199
members of 69 families staying in the Transit camp. However there are
only 6 toilets erected and therefore 1 toilet has to be shared by 34 people
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whereas it should be 1 for 20 persons . Unfortunately it was also
revealed though they have enough latrine facilities, sometimes some
IDPs used to continue with open air defecation which is more
aggregative for health concerns.
In Puttalam, Alankuda B relocation center, out of 35 persons only 7
persons have toilets and those are temporary in nature. Those temporary
toilets only have a pit, a base, squatting slab and covered with cadjan
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walls and with no roof . There are about 20 toilets made by an NGO but
some of them cannot be used due to overflowing. Others are still
continuing with open air defecation. The reasons for not having toilets
are the financial difficulties of the families and the ambiguity regarding
the ownership of the lands. This undermines the privacy and increases
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number of flies and bad smell and caused a serious threat to healthy life .
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Visit Report of Manalchenai Transit camp by NPDS for IDPs Project of HRCSL,
Trincomalee, 18April 2008
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Observed in Fact Finding Mission to Alankuda B welfare center, Puttalam through a
Focal Group Discussion on 22nd September 2008 by NPDS for IDPs Project of HRCSL
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Fact Finding Mission to Alankuda B welfare center,Puttalam, 22nd September 2008
by NPDS for IDPs Project of HRCSL.
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