Saudi Arabia to build 1,000 houses for tsunami victims

by Mohammed Rasooldeen in Riyadh

Saudi Arabia is to build 1,000 houses for the tsunami victims in Sri Lanka. The Dec. 26 waves which killed more than 31,000 Sri Lankans and left another 200,000 destitute.

"These houses will be built in tsunami hit areas such as Hambantota Galle, Trincomalee, Ampara, and Batticaloa on lands provided by the Lankan Government" the Charge d' Affaires of the Saudi Embassy here, Talaat Hamza Shera told Daily News. He added that the project supervised by the mission will be implemented by the Saudi Charity Campaign for Relief for Tsunami Victims. (SCCRTV).

Shera siad the houses will be distributed among the most deserving displaced families irrespective of religions. "Those houses are meant for the poorest among the survivors who cannot dream of a home for themselves," he added. Shera indicated that the Saudi relief services will not be limited to 1,000 houses, they will be extended to the renovation of dilapidated hospitals and mosques.

The diplomat said the contract for the construction of these houses will be given to Sri Lankan companies that could successfully complete the project and added that assistance from reputed Saudi companies will be sought if and when necessary since it is a missive project which needs professional engineering consultancy.

He said a number of Saudi charitable organizations that have their offices in Colombo have formed an umbrella organization under the chairmanship of the Saudi mission to continue relief work in tsunami- affected areas. The organizations include the International Islamic Relief Organization (IIRO), Saudi Red Crescent Society (SRCS), World Assembly of Muslim Youth, Shabab Club and Saudi Fund for Development (SFD).

During the past two weeks, the mission received 46 container loads of relief materials for distribution among the tsunami victims in the island. The local office of the IIRO received 24 of those containers, while the rest were handled by the SRCS.

In addition to the various relief supplies, each container comprised 1,500 tents, 7,000 blankets and 2,000 packages of dry rations which includes rice, sugar, oil, milk, dates, clothes, footwear and infant foods. The SRCS also distributed 15 ambulances and 60 wheelchairs to the hospitals in the tsunami ravaged districts.

He said the SFD will shortly commence building the bridge between Trincomalee and Kinniya at a cost of SR 40 million. "This is the fifth project to be funded by the SFD in Sri Lanka," he said, pointing out that there are 100,000 people living in Kinniya who use the ferry to go to Trincomalee, the nearest town from the village.

Last year the SFD released SR 40 million to construct the National Neuro Trauma Centre in Colombo.

It has also provided project loans on three previous occasions. It offered Rs. 2.7 billion for the second stage of the water supply and sewage project and gave Rs. 1.3 billion for the Mahaweli Ganga Development Project System B in 1981. Sri Lanka also obtained Rs. 2.3 billion for the Mahaweli Ganga Development Project System B Left Bank in 1984.