The World Bank says Sri Lanka needs more money to re-build houses destroyed in the 2004 December tsunami, and its program is lagging behind in the island's war-ravaged areas.
World Bank says its program has helped restore the livelihoods of around 100,000 families and re-build 44,000 damaged houses.
"Together, the program has benefited directly more than 300,000 people," the World Bank said in a statement.
The Banks says as of March 2007 when the first part of the program ended, about 97 percent of the partly damaged houses and 62 percent of the fully damaged houses in seven districts have been completed.
"The remaining houses are under various stages of completion," the bank said.
"The reconstruction program in the North and East is likely to take some more time due to the ongoing conflict-related issues."
World Bank says there are still about 15,000 families in need of permanent housing primarily landless families, but with only 8 million of the original funding remaining, more money is needed.
Despite the "overall differential spatial and community impacts" World Bank says its International Development Association (IDA), funded Tsunami Emergency Reconstruction Program (TERP) has been satisfactory.
The World Bank has given 150 million dollars through two IDA (the bank's concessionary window) credit and is also running a 25 million dollar grant program from the International Federation of Red Cross (IFRC) for housing reconstruction.
An 'owner driven' housing program has received 65 million US dollars, livelihood support 34 million dollars, roads 33 million dollars, health 8 million dollars and capacity building 5 million.
"The World Bank’s support to Sri Lanka after the tsunami of December 26, 2004, was to mitigate the immediate suffering; assist people to regain their livelihoods; restore basic services to the affected population; and initiate the recovery and reconstruction process," the World Bank said.
So far 142 million of the funds have been disbursed. In addition to dwelling as livelihoods about 114 kilometers of the main coastal road from Kalutara to Matara has been completed.
