I am glad Mr. Ethirveerasingham had given his mind to the contents of my article on this subject. I am well aware of the PTF and its restrictions and the conditions it lays down when someone seeks its permission to send funds for projects to help the war victims. However, as Mr. E. has stated “Notwithstanding such restrictions, NGOs function in livelihood, education, child and women head of household welfare etc in the North with funds from the Diaspora.” The suggestions I have made are for this category of ventures for which NGOs and diaspora investments could be channeled.

I am already involved with some such investments through co-operative thrift and credit societies in the out of the way locations in the Wanni. These societies are authorised by law to receive donations from well wishers. The members of such societies are themselves jointly exercise control over the use of such funds. Such areas have limited access to the main roads and they usually use cycles to get about. The suggestion of pedal trishaws are to provide self employment to its owner who can transport the feeble persons and the school children within the villages. They are not expected to ride on A9 or other main roads but in the rural roads or paths which are now used by bicycles. Some school children walk miles to get to the nearest primary or pre-school in the area.
The bio-gas units I have mentioned are household bio-gas units and not huge units to cater to a cluster of homes. Samples of such units in use could be viewed in the links I have given in the article. Inquiries made reveal that house hold units are available for sale in India at approximately Rs.6000/- per unit. Such a unit can provide gas enough for their cooking or lighting needs. It is not suggested that every household should be provided with such units. They could be provided to households which have the minimum inputs required for such units.

As for well sweeps, I am sure Mr. E. is aware that a large number of palmyrah trees had been beheaded during the war. Many trunks of such trees are suitable for the erection of small or medium size well sweeps in remote places where fuel operated water-pumps are difficult and expensive to use. Besides a well sweep can provide employment at least two persons during the cultivation season.

As for mobile clinics, the suggestion is not for requesting or financing the hospitals in the region to provide them to these villages. The existing mobile medical services are not adequate to cater to the remote places. Inquiries reveal that such services do not reach such villages. It is for those villages that the suggestion is made for an NGO or such other organisation to provide the transport costs and the fee needed for paramedics in the region to visit such places on specified dates and provide basic medical services. Such services were provided by NGOs to the remote camps among the 125 odd refugee camps that existed in the Puttalam District following the displacement people in the 1990s. FORUT was funding such medical clinics even to the twelve refugee camps that existed in the Colombo District !

In any case, the idea is to think of providing the services suggested to out of the way areas in the Wanni, at least as pilot projects. I appreciate the concerns expressed by Mr. E. in launching such projects on a macro scale. My concerns are for remote villages and the available grass root level organisations like the co-operative societies I mentioned which could provide assistance to its members on a micro scale. Many do not know that such societies which were widely available before the war have now slowly been re-activated and could be promoted by utilizing them to provide micro credit to such members for the ventures suggested. This could be done only if NGOs or the diaspora can boost the financial resources of such societies through donations to such societies channeled via the District Unions of such societies available in Vavuniya, Kilinochchi and Mullaitivu.

Notwithstanding such restrictions, NGOs function in livelihood, education, child and women head of household welfare etc in the North with funds from the Diaspora.

Bio-Gas
The bio-gas production is viable if many families in the rural area joins together. NGOs were exploring it since the 1990 Embargo but the initial cost is high – fabricating equipment locally, training,two or 3 years of follow-up and the infrastructure costs. Exploration now has run into difficulties due to restrictions and conditions by the government. Without the involvement of the PTF, MOD, the political permissions and involvement of the military on the ground, such projects cannot be formulated and implemented. Fund raising are not possible with such conditions.

Well-Sweeps
In the 40s and 50s my brothers and I, like many other families were week-end well-sweeps. I would still recommend it for small farmers and large home gardens with teenage children. It will also help salt water lens rising and cause salt water in wells like in the 70s and 80s due to excessive irrigation with water pumps. After the 1995 two year displacement of Jaffna the problem of salt water and ecoli in the wells were reduced to pre 70s level when water pumps and fertilizers were introduced and limestone quarries were numerous to produce cement in KKS. It is regrettable that the cement factory is being recommissioned. The population of Jaffna Peninsula which was 900,000. – well beyond the carrying capacity of 500,000. – is now approaching 800,000 and soon pass the million mark. Using well sweeps is not going to meet the water needs of farmers, general population and the tourist industry that is fast developing in the North.

The GSL aims to solve the water problem in Jaffna peninsula by, with ADB funding, taking Irranamadhu Tank water to Jaffna. It is like taking from Peter to pay Paul. During the dry season the water in the Tank is enough only to cultivate one-third of the paddy fields. Also the wells farther away from the Tank would have no water. Those with means dig a Tube well at the bottom of the well to get water. Such projects not only has physical and biological environmental consequences, it will also lead to conflict between the Vanni and Jaffna populations. Politically those who are excellent in dividing political parties, communities and groups would welcome such conflicts between Tamils.

See ADB websites for details on the Irranamadhu-Jaffna 70km water pipeline.

http://www.adb.org/sites/default/files/projdocs/2010/37378-01-sri-ieeab.pdf

http://www.adb.org/sites/default/files/projdocs/2010/37378-01-sri-rpab.pdf

http://www.adb.org/sites/default/files/projdocs/2010/37378-01-sri-rp-draft-01.pdf

also see
http://transcurrents.com/tc/2009/03/the_river_for_jaffna_peninsula.html

for alternate approaches which the GSL did in the fifties and sixties and had discontinued during the eighties. It now decided not to restart that project though the Institute of Engineers and the Pugwash conference headed by Jayantha Dhanapala supported it recently.

Pedal-Rickshaws
In the nineties, during the Embargo of the North – 1990 2009 – , Pedal Rickshaws were common in Jaffna. I gave up bicycle riding in Jaffna after 2007 due to heavy traffic. Now with numerous motorcycles, cars, Vans, lorries and bus traffic it is dangerous to walk and worse to ride bicycles on the main roads. Pedal bicycles are wider and even more dangerous. Vanni terrain or the A9 is not suitable for Pedal-Rickshaws. Bicycles with carriers are more suitable. Diaspora and SL NGOs with Diaspora funds mostly are providing bicycles to school children and women. But, not enough yet.

Mobile Clinics
Mobile clinics were functioning in Jaffna before and now. You may want to talk to the Community Medicine unit of the Medical Faculty of Univ of Jaffna or Moolai Cooperative Hospital (First Cooperative Cooperative hospital in South Asia.). Mobile clinics in the Vanni functioned with trained paramedics during the Embargo up to 2009.) You may want to talk to the Medical Directors of Vavunia Base hospital and NP medical director about medical service during embargo and now. They are now providing basic services for physical and trauma ailments with little facilities and funds from GSL. The work load is very high due to injuries (with many adults and children with shrapnel pieces in them.) due to war. Many of the projects are funded by diaspora and NGO, INGO funds.

If you wish to know how much funds are coming into SL from INGOs or the Diaspora, you can check the details from the Central Bank as all funds remitted are through or reported by the local banks to it. I wish the Central Bank would publish this or make it available to the public.

Ironically, all talk of the Diaspora to do the clean up, a stand the winners take on the premise that the Diaspora financed the war and it is upto the Diaspora to take the brunt of defeat.

Is this democratic and humanitarian view anyone should take or for that matter support this horrific idea ?

What share the IC and partners in the war have in providing justice remdial measures vital for the war victims?

How easy all this would have been if there is a political will to let willing and capable retired civil servants (some of whom expressed their views to LLRC) and bodies like Friday Forum to operate the Presidential Task Force for Northern Development