Online Daily News; by Indeewara Thilakarathne
Once famed for its natural beauty, the village of Kosgoda stands forlorn and helpless. In some places the waves had traveled up to half a kilometer inland, destroying almost every object they met. AbayaSriwardanaramaya in Thalgahapitiya, Kosgoda is a temple, which had been harshly damaged by the tsunami. The Viharadhipathi of the temple, Ven. Kosgoda Vajirabodhi thero sitting on a rickety chair in the Sanghavasaya, the partly survived building in the temple, laments that he could not continue with the social work he carried out as most parts of the temple were swept to the ground by the waves. " The library of the temple that contains invaluable books and the hall where the Dhamma School for about 364 students was conducted has been reduced to rubble by the tsunami. Now we even cannot live in the Dharma Shalawa, we stay in neighbours houses and live on donations and dry rations as the devotees could not themselves provide us with food and there are eight novices with us in the temple", he said. There were about thirty tsunami refugees who either stayed with their neighbours or relatives who came to the tsunami-ravaged temple to get food and donations that were being distributed there.
The Viharadhipathi further says that a well-known thug in the area had threatened him with death and though he had lodged a complaint with the Kosgoda Police, no action so far has been taken to apprehend the thug who roamed freely in the area. He said that the motive was to evict the Bhikkhus from the temple premises. "There are some groups who engaged in looting and we, bhikkhus in the temple, were also threatened by a group of thugs when a group of 50 volunteers came from Elpitiya to clear up the rubble. One Wasana, who is also known as Indula, is the thug who threatened us wielding a knife. Though a novice Bhikkhu complained to the police on January 30, about the incident, police has not taken any action to arrest him," said the Viharadhipathi.
Kumudu Neranjan de Soyza of Nape, Kosgoda, whom I met at the temple said that he was a supplier of building materials and owned a vehicle. Tsunami waves had destroyed his house causing heavy damages to his vehicle." I live in a relative's house with three children. Our house that was near the bridge and Kosgoda beach hotel was completely destroyed by the waves. " he said. A. D. W. K. de Soyza Jayathilaka of Dasanayaka Walauwa is a philanthropist in the area whom I met at the temple. He had deployed a tractor with three water pumps that goes around the village cleaning up wells free of charge. He also undertook to construct houses for the needy people with the help of well-wishers in the area. He is of the view that the houses for the tsunami affected should be constructed in such a way that they can be expanded later unlike the houses constructed by some NGOs that are uniform in construction and with no room for further expansion. Diviyagala Aranaya, a famous monastery, about two kilometers off the main Galle-Colombo highway, is a refugee camp for tsunami affected families. Though not registered at the time, it houses 57 inmates comprising 22 families. The camp is manned by navy officers with the help of the Gramasevaka of the area and the police. "There are about 57 families here. The camp receives dry rations and donations. But no temporary shelters like makeshift tents were received. Inmates are willing to resettle soon provided they get plots of lands to settle down ", said D. M. Dharmadasa of the Sri Lanka Navy, at the camp.
P. Hemawathi de Silva is one among hundreds of fisherfolk who lost their houses in the tsunami death waves. I met her at the camp. "We lived in a land belonging to a neighbour and the waves had destroyed our house and what we want is a plot of land to build a house " she laments. Lakmal, an inmate of the camp said, " while I was having a bath with neighbours, the sea became violent and we ran onto the land. I saw boats being thrown ashore by the gigantic waves that followed us into the land. I lost my father. We receive sufficient food and cloth and I am willing to return home soon". Another inmate, a resident of Talgahapitiya, Kosgoda, said that she and her family members were saved from the waves but her house was completely destroyed and what she wants is a house to live in.
The lay -administrative committee of the monastery aired their opposition to having a refugee camp in the monastery premises. They complained that the refugees had broken the silence of the monastery, disturbing the routine of the meditating monks in isolated Kuties scattered around the premises. The refugees were seen pushed to the corner of the hall to accommodate the devotees who observed Sil at the monastery. Gamini Jayatilaka, the chairman of the lay-administrative committee of the Aranaya said that the refugee camp was set up ad hoc, and they made a request to the Divisional Secretary to remove the camp to an alternative location as it disrupts the activities of the Aranaya. He said, "We have suggested an alternative place: That is Kalagaspalata Kanishta Vidyalaya which was closed now. The refugee camp could be moved once the toilets are renovated."
L. K. Ariyarathne, the Divisional Secretary of Balapitiya says that so far 3874 families have been rendered refugees in his division amounting to 15,490 persons and so far 182 persons have disappeared since the disaster. He further said, " We have already taken measures to re-settle the refugees. For the purpose, we have identified 14 acres of crown land both in Government and co-operative sectors. There were 34 camps and we have established 17 camps Gramasevaka Division wise. Now the number has reduced to eight camps, ". He said that most of the refugees, who earlier stayed at camps, had gone back to their homes or stay with their relatives and some schools were selected to accommodate the refugees until houses are constructed to resettle them.
Meanwhile the residents of the area requested the authorities to keep open the central dispensary round the clock as they could not afford to travel to Balapitiya Base Hospital by three-wheelers, as the ride will cost about Rs. 300 and a large number of three wheelers of the area were destroyed by the tsunami waves.
The tsunami waves had nearly altered the geography of the coastal line. The devastated landscape was full of rubble from houses. One can see here and there on both sides of the highway, water filled craters and in some places part of a vehicle that was buried in the sand, perhaps, along with its passengers. By dusk, the villagers had gathered along the highway with clutched palms to beg for aid. They were the fisher folk who lost their livelihood in the national calamity. When a vehicle was stopped, the children will gather around it in the hope that they could get something from the travellers. The tsunami-relief camp at IDH Watte, Dadalla, is one of the few camps on the way to the city of Galle. The camp provides shelter for 385 inmates of diverse social strata. Drinking water, food and kitchen utensils were the immediate needs of the inmates. These refugees are willing to settle down if they get houses. Most of the refugees I met told me that they would like to have a house that could be expanded in the future. They are reluctant to settle in smaller houses often built by NGOs as they will not suit all of them. Along the coast from Colombo to Galle and Matara, a traveler could see the extent of the damage and sheer force of the waves that decimated entire towns and villages. Somewhere near Beruwala fisheries harbour, fishing boats were seen thrown onto the road.
The city of Galle, the bus station, harbour and the world famous tourist destination, Unawatuna were hit hard by the giant waves. A popular vegetarian restaurant, "Somawathi'' right opposite the Dhakshina Navy camp was among restaurants and hotels which were severely damaged by the tsunami. Most of the beach front restaurants in the tourist paradise were decimated by the tsunami, one hotelier is Rainer Komoll, a German national married to a Sri Lankan. He says that the catastrophe which befell the country is unprecedented. However he criticized the Government's decision to impose a hundred meter exclusive buffer zone from the sea front as he says that did not auger well for the industry. "Only if the hotels are in the sea front the tourists will arrive as before. Generally speaking, the police in Sri Lanka are little bit slower than in Germany. People in Sri Lanka will get a lot of help from other countries " he said. A sense of utter skepticism and uncertainty is written all over the woeful countenances of the refugees while children unaware of the gravity, play as if to gather their shattered lives.
Kumudu Neranjan de Soyza of Nape, Kosgoda, whom I met at the temple said that he was a supplier of building materials and owned a vehicle. Tsunami waves had destroyed his house causing heavy damages to his vehicle." I live in a relative's house with three children. Our house that was near the bridge and Kosgoda beach hotel was completely destroyed by the waves. " he said. A. D. W. K. de Soyza Jayathilaka of Dasanayaka Walauwa is a philanthropist in the area whom I met at the temple. He had deployed a tractor with three water pumps that goes around the village cleaning up wells free of charge. He also undertook to construct houses for the needy people with the help of well-wishers in the area. He is of the view that the houses for the tsunami affected should be constructed in such a way that they can be expanded later unlike the houses constructed by some NGOs that are uniform in construction and with no room for further expansion. Diviyagala Aranaya, a famous monastery, about two kilometers off the main Galle-Colombo highway, is a refugee camp for tsunami affected families. Though not registered at the time, it houses 57 inmates comprising 22 families. The camp is manned by navy officers with the help of the Gramasevaka of the area and the police. "There are about 57 families here. The camp receives dry rations and donations. But no temporary shelters like makeshift tents were received. Inmates are willing to resettle soon provided they get plots of lands to settle down ", said D. M. Dharmadasa of the Sri Lanka Navy, at the camp.
P. Hemawathi de Silva is one among hundreds of fisherfolk who lost their houses in the tsunami death waves. I met her at the camp. "We lived in a land belonging to a neighbour and the waves had destroyed our house and what we want is a plot of land to build a house " she laments. Lakmal, an inmate of the camp said, " while I was having a bath with neighbours, the sea became violent and we ran onto the land. I saw boats being thrown ashore by the gigantic waves that followed us into the land. I lost my father. We receive sufficient food and cloth and I am willing to return home soon". Another inmate, a resident of Talgahapitiya, Kosgoda, said that she and her family members were saved from the waves but her house was completely destroyed and what she wants is a house to live in.
The lay -administrative committee of the monastery aired their opposition to having a refugee camp in the monastery premises. They complained that the refugees had broken the silence of the monastery, disturbing the routine of the meditating monks in isolated Kuties scattered around the premises. The refugees were seen pushed to the corner of the hall to accommodate the devotees who observed Sil at the monastery. Gamini Jayatilaka, the chairman of the lay-administrative committee of the Aranaya said that the refugee camp was set up ad hoc, and they made a request to the Divisional Secretary to remove the camp to an alternative location as it disrupts the activities of the Aranaya. He said, "We have suggested an alternative place: That is Kalagaspalata Kanishta Vidyalaya which was closed now. The refugee camp could be moved once the toilets are renovated."
L. K. Ariyarathne, the Divisional Secretary of Balapitiya says that so far 3874 families have been rendered refugees in his division amounting to 15,490 persons and so far 182 persons have disappeared since the disaster. He further said, " We have already taken measures to re-settle the refugees. For the purpose, we have identified 14 acres of crown land both in Government and co-operative sectors. There were 34 camps and we have established 17 camps Gramasevaka Division wise. Now the number has reduced to eight camps, ". He said that most of the refugees, who earlier stayed at camps, had gone back to their homes or stay with their relatives and some schools were selected to accommodate the refugees until houses are constructed to resettle them.
Meanwhile the residents of the area requested the authorities to keep open the central dispensary round the clock as they could not afford to travel to Balapitiya Base Hospital by three-wheelers, as the ride will cost about Rs. 300 and a large number of three wheelers of the area were destroyed by the tsunami waves.
The tsunami waves had nearly altered the geography of the coastal line. The devastated landscape was full of rubble from houses. One can see here and there on both sides of the highway, water filled craters and in some places part of a vehicle that was buried in the sand, perhaps, along with its passengers. By dusk, the villagers had gathered along the highway with clutched palms to beg for aid. They were the fisher folk who lost their livelihood in the national calamity. When a vehicle was stopped, the children will gather around it in the hope that they could get something from the travellers. The tsunami-relief camp at IDH Watte, Dadalla, is one of the few camps on the way to the city of Galle. The camp provides shelter for 385 inmates of diverse social strata. Drinking water, food and kitchen utensils were the immediate needs of the inmates. These refugees are willing to settle down if they get houses. Most of the refugees I met told me that they would like to have a house that could be expanded in the future. They are reluctant to settle in smaller houses often built by NGOs as they will not suit all of them. Along the coast from Colombo to Galle and Matara, a traveler could see the extent of the damage and sheer force of the waves that decimated entire towns and villages. Somewhere near Beruwala fisheries harbour, fishing boats were seen thrown onto the road.
The city of Galle, the bus station, harbour and the world famous tourist destination, Unawatuna were hit hard by the giant waves. A popular vegetarian restaurant, "Somawathi'' right opposite the Dhakshina Navy camp was among restaurants and hotels which were severely damaged by the tsunami. Most of the beach front restaurants in the tourist paradise were decimated by the tsunami, one hotelier is Rainer Komoll, a German national married to a Sri Lankan. He says that the catastrophe which befell the country is unprecedented. However he criticized the Government's decision to impose a hundred meter exclusive buffer zone from the sea front as he says that did not auger well for the industry. "Only if the hotels are in the sea front the tourists will arrive as before. Generally speaking, the police in Sri Lanka are little bit slower than in Germany. People in Sri Lanka will get a lot of help from other countries " he said. A sense of utter skepticism and uncertainty is written all over the woeful countenances of the refugees while children unaware of the gravity, play as if to gather their shattered lives.
