UNITED NATIONS - Sri Lanka received US$1.8 billion from donors for post-tsunami reconstruction, according to a new UN study released here.
The 19-page report, providing an update on the ''Indian Ocean tsunami disaster'', says the financial needs of Sri Lanka were estimated at $2.15 billion. Of the $1.8 billion received, about $1.4 billion was spent by the end of the first quarter of 2008.
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| Then UN Secretary General Kofi Annan visiting the tsunami-affected people in Lanka in January 2005 |
The tsumani devastated two-thirds of Sri Lanka's coast and caused more than 35,000 fatalities. The study also said that "the most significant challenge to the recovery process in Sri Lanka is the ongoing civil conflict."
Escalating violence over the past few years has set back reconstruction efforts in the north and east of the country, though it continues largely apace in the south. "The conflict has also impacted livelihoods of around 2.5 million people, hampering the economic recovery of tsunami-affected areas," the study notes.
The report points out that security concerns have posed operational hurdles across a range of sectors, making it difficult or impossible for international aid partners to move or deliver assistance and supplies.
Restrictions on transportation of certain construction material, such as cement and steel, as well as difficulties in accessing certain areas have hampered recovery, the study adds. |
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