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Fhoto focus: China reaches out to Aranayake homeless
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Story and pix by Saman Wijaya Bandara – Mawanella
Eight months after the devastating landslide at Samasara Hill in Aranayake, Kegalle, which killed 127 persons, many of those displaced still continue to languish in several temporary camps.
According to statistics provided by the Aranayake Pradeshiya Sabha, the displaced are accommodated in two camps. 571 displaced families live in temperory shelters at one camp, while 136 others have found accommodation with relatives. Another 200 persons are housed in 50 tents at a camp for displaced persons set up at the Ussapitiya grounds.
People at the camp expressed their frustration at having to live for so long in temporary shelters. They said the tents were far too humid during the day and are subject to flooding whenever it rains.
The toilets too often overflowed, they added. Another problem worrying parents was the education of their children.
The school in Hathgampola, which many of the children attended, is situated around eight kilometres away.
However all is not lost.
This week the Chinese Government began constructing the “Aranayake China-Sri Lanka Friendship village.”
The US$1.5 million (Rs.22.5 billion) will provide houses to the families affected by the landslide. The first 60 houses are expected to be completed and handed over before the end of the year.
The displaced families live in camps such as this one
Foundation laying ceremony: Chinese to build houses for the Aranayake victims
Children play in a waste water drain
The interior of one of the shelters
with only a few toilets serving the needs of a large number of families, toilets often overflow
The old and disabled are worst off
A young boy engrossed in his meal