Assistance to flood victims in Sri Lanka

Norway is to give NOK 6 million in assistance to the flood victims in Sri Lanka.

“There are huge humanitarian needs. We want to do what we can to help people return to their homes,” said Minister of the Environment and International Development Erik Solheim.

The floods in Sri Lanka have affected more than a million people. More than 350 000 people have been driven from their homes. The flood water is now beginning to recede.

It is proving difficult to provide clean drinking water, access to food and shelter. Areas in the east of the country and some areas in the north are the hardest hit by the flooding. Many of these areas were also severely affected by the tsunami in 2004.

Norway’s contribution of NOK 6 million is being channelled through UNICEF and the Norwegian Refugee Council. Both of these organisations are working in some of the worst-hit areas, and their efforts to distribute emergency relief are already well under way.