UNICEF working to keep children affected by floods in Sri Lanka safe

The United Nations Children’s agency UNICEF says it is reaching the most vulnerable communities affected by the floods in Sri Lanka with clean water and safe shelters as the island’s worst flooding in years has impacted almost 500,000 people, many of them children.

Thousands of children and families have been forced from their homes after flash floods and landslides hit south-west Sri Lanka on 25 May. While parts of the country still face drought, some regions have been inundated with up to 500 mm of rain.

Many communities in the worst-affected regions were urged to evacuate, yet 180 people have been confirmed dead and 110 are still missing.

The agency says the emergency has already displaced thousands of children from their homes, exposed them to deadly waterborne diseases and disrupted their education.

The monsoonal rains have left 141,400 children in need of humanitarian aid, according to UNICEF. The agency said it is monitoring the impact on children and delivering prepositioned stocks of water and sanitation supplies to keep children safe.

UNICEF is working with the Sri Lankan Government and its partners to reach the half a million people affected by the floods with clean water by repairing damaged infrastructure and delivering water purification tablets.

The UN agency is working to keep children safe from waterborne diseases with information about hygiene and supplies of soap and repair and restock 110,000 health centres that were damaged by the floods and landslides.

The UNICEF said it will set up 200 temporary child-friendly spaces to keep children living in camps away from danger.

It will help the children to return to schools by repairing 50 damaged buildings and replacing lost furniture, books and toys and to reunite the separated children with their parents.