Since 1983, a civil war between the LTTE and the Sri Lankan Army has claimed the lives of over 68,000 people. Despite a brief cease fire from 2002- 2006, fighting has erupted again in northern and eastern parts of the island. Thousands of families are fleeing the fighting. Camps and temporary shelters have been established but are being inundated and overwhelmed. Camps in and around the Batticoloa District are designed to house about 25,000 civilians. Over 156,000 civilians are now displaced and staying in these camps. Rations of food, access to clean water, and the provision of health care services are all at critically low levels.
Global Medic recently deployed the Water Purification Unit of its Rapid Response Team. Three Toronto based team members including a Toronto Police Officer and a Toronto Paramedic were joined by two Indonesian based members in Sri Lanka . Global Medic air freighted life saving water purification equipment. The team installed portable systems in a number of villages and created a large scale potable water distribution program to serve up to 100,000 civilians daily.
The team worked in partnership with local groups and NGOs including Muslim Aid. Local staff were trained and all of the water equipment was left behind as a donation. Muslim Aid will oversee continued delivery of water during this emergency.
