Sri Lanka: UN Agricultural Agency Repairs over 3,400 Tsunami-Damaged Boats
New York, Jun 16 2005 2:00PM
The United Nations Food and Agriculture Organization (FAO) says it has repaired over 3,400 fishing boats damaged by
December's devastating tsunami in Sri Lanka, allowing nearly 12,000 fishermen to resume their livelihoods.
According to FAO, more than 54 per cent of coastal fishing vessels in Sri Lanka were completely destroyed or very
seriously damaged by the tsunami. Previous estimates put the number of those boats at nearly 20,000. Close to 5,000
fishermen were killed.
In the repair effort, FAO mobilized funds from international donors and is working through Cey-Nor Foundation, a
boat-building and fishery supply company owned by the Sri Lankan government.
"FAO is supporting Cey-Nor through the provision of tools, boat repair and materials and payment of labour charges,"
said FAO Emergency and Rehabilitation Coordinator Mona Chaya. "The aim of the activity is to ensure that fishers in all
affected districts are allowed to resume their livelihoods as quickly as possible."
Earlier in the week, the United Nations Volunteers (UNV) and the Global Environment Facility (GEF) announced they were
joining forces to restore coastal communities in Sri Lanka through beach rehabilitation and biodiversity renewal,
drinking water replenishment, income-generation projects, and awareness-raising on environmental issues.
FAO, the UN's lead agency for the rehabilitation of fishing in Sri Lanka, says its long-term strategy is to not only
restore the livelihood of the fishermen but also to raise the incomes of coastal communities above pre-tsunami levels.
ENDS