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What's Happening in Sri Lanka

Post Tsunami activities

17 January 2005

Three weeks have passed since the Tsunami tidal wave destruction of 26 December 2004. It was a beautiful Sunday morning and my wife and I paid a visit to a family friend, an elderly lady who was recovering from ill health. While we were chatting and having tea seated in her drawing room at about 10.15 a.m. her telephone rang. It was a call from a relative who was on holiday at the Hikkaduwa beach resort, in the south coast of Sri Lanka, informing her that a tidal wave had hit the resort and she was watching the destruction from the top floor room of her hotel. This was the first inclination we received on the Tsunami tidal wave which struck the major part of Sri Lanka's coastal areas and which subsequently became a tragedy of unimaginable and unparalleled proportions. All hell broke loose in the following few hours with news of the tidal wave and the mammoth scale of the tragedy coming in from local TV stations as well as international news channels.

On Monday and Tuesday (27 and 28 December 2004) everybody was trying to locate and get news of relatives, friends and acquaintances who were residents of the affected area. As both land line telephones and cellular telephone services were badly affected assessing the situation was a daunting task. As the main road linking Colombo with the southern part of the country was completely impassable and the railway line washed away in several places it was very difficult to get any news from the affected areas in the south. Getting information from the east coast was even more difficult.

On Tuesday we managed to send a team with some food and other relief items to the southern town of Galle via an interior route to check on employees of the National Library who reside in the coastal areas and travel to work daily. We were fortunate that all of them and their properties were safe except for Mirani, who is attached to the Conservation Division of the National Library. Her house situated at Beruwala, a coastal town 30 km south of Colombo was completely washed away and she and her family barely saved their lives and are at present living in a relief camp.

At the same time a few of us at the National Library tried to assess the situation of libraries located on the coastal belt without much success. As we often travel to these areas visiting libraries we knew that most of them were in very close proximity to the sea, and hence, had very little chance of survival in such a situation.

After about 48 hours we were able to gauge the situation to some extent. The communication lines were partly restored and we were able to get news from district administrative centres of Galle, Matara and Hambantota on the southern coast and Ampara, Baticaloa and Trincomalee on the eastern coast. At the same time local and international media were visiting most of the affected areas and giving first hand information to the whole world on this unprecedented devastation. From the information received through the district administrative centres, provincial education authorities and local government authorities, we realised the grave situation of the library sector.

On Tuesday, 28 December 2004, I prepared an appeal to the international library community giving available information. We posted the appeal on our web site and also forwarded it to the Acting Secretary General, IFLA, to be posted on the IFLA web site and to UNESCO. A copy of the appeal has also been forwarded to the senior librarians in Sri Lanka including Russell Bowden inviting them for a meeting at the National Library on the following week to discuss the situation. Russell who had visited the south gave a detailed and classic description of the tragedy in his article, which appeared on the IFLA web site. My colleague Amaraweera, Librarian, Buddhist and Pali University, who is also an Internet enthusiastic, forwarded the appeal to a large number of web sites and search engines around the world.

Responses

The appeal received an instantaneous response from all corners of the world. President, IFLA has made a personnel appeal for assistance. Offers of library material came from many sources. As the affected libraries are mainly small public and school libraries we had to be very selective in accepting those offers. Prof Neelamegan sent his sympathies along with a donation of US$500 and became the first donor to the fund. A considerable number of librarians informed us of the fund raising campaigns they were planning on launching and some wanted to know our exact requirements before responding to our appeal.

UNESCO's Intervention

Dr. Susanne Ornager, Advisor, Information and Communication Division for Asia, UNESCO, New Delhi office visited Colombo on Thursday, 6 January 2005 to asses the situation. UNESCO had by then received our appeal for help and was keen to help in whatever way possible. Dr Ornager spent six days in Sri Lanka and during that time we were able to establish a mechanism and plan for action to meet needs of the situation. The Sri Lanka Disaster Management Committee for Library, Information Services and Archives ( SL DMC-LISA ) attached to the National Library and Documentation Services Board (NLDSB) of Sri Lanka has been set up as a result of the UNESCO intervention. The committee comprises of representatives from the NLDSB, Sri Lanka Library association (SLLA), IFLA, National Institute of Library and Information Science (NILIS), Department of National Archives, National Science Foundation (NSF), Ministry of Education, Ministry of Cultural Affairs and National Heritage, Centre for National Operation (CNO) and UNESCO. To date the committee has met four times and immediate needs of affected libraries have been identified and published on the IFLA web site.

Visit to the South

To obtain firsthand information on affected libraries the NLDSB arranged tours to the south and east of the country. As the tour to the south was planned for the second weekend of January (8 and 9 January) the NLDSB invited Ms Ornager to join the tour, which she enthusiastically accepted. Chairman, four officers from the conservation, library services and administration divisions, two drivers and myself comprised the eight-member contingent from NLDSB. The officers from the conservation division carried a leaflet with detailed instructions on rescuing and preservation of library material damaged by sea water. They were also able to verbally instruct librarians with demonstrations whenever possible. Others made records of the damage, photographed them and also as a gesture of goodwill distributed consignments of books to relief camps and to the less damaged libraries.

We started the journey at about 7.45 a.m. on 8 January 2004 after breakfast at my house. The scene of devastation started after a few kilometres south of Colombo. The overall devastation was such that Ms Ornegar was visibly shocked as were all of us. By then it was two weeks after the tragedy and bodies were buried and the initial shock was gradually receding. However, the damage to buildings, towns and homes of people were visible all around the main road leading from Colombo to Hambantota.

A considerable amount of large fishing boats of the Beruwala fisheries harbour were still lying on the roadside and on the land a considerable distance away from the sea after having been washed ashore with the tidal waves.

At a small school at Ahungalla the lady principal was killed by the tsunami. On that Sunday she was preparing the school timetable for the new school year. The small library and the entire building were devastated.

On the roof of the damaged school library at Kahawa, where a passenger train was washed away killing about 1,400 passengers, some drawing room furniture, mattresses and a few clothing items were still visible. The army and other rescue workers were occupying the school. The stench of decaying bodies was still on the air. Doors and windows of the library were shattered and with the exception of a few books the rest of the library furniture and books were washed away. This school library was one of the 2,000 school libraries developed under a World Bank project recently.

The public library at the world famous Hikkaduwa tourist resort lost a major part of its collection. We met the librarian who was trying to rescue the library material (which was soggy with water) with the help of a volunteer. The other staff had not reported for duty that day due to rumours of another possible tidal wave.

The principal of the senior school at Gintota, a few kilometres north of Galle, was busy clearing the debris with his staff and a few volunteers. The school boundary wall and a number of buildings had collapsed and some others were badly damaged. The newly built school library and the adjoining IT centre were completely destroyed.

There were a number of other schools at Ratgama, Dodanduwa and Boossa, which were so severely damaged that it was difficult to approach them.

The city of Galle was a heart-breaking scene. The main bazaar, bus depot, houses along the harbour, government offices and other buildings are in ruins in this historic city with a magnificent Dutch Fort. The beautiful and well-organised main city public library occupying the 1st to 3rd floors of a high-rise building escaped the devastation. However, one of its branch libraries located at Magalle, close to the harbour, faced the full force of the tidal wave. An employee told us how he found the heavy newspaper reading table and some other pieces of library furniture on the top of a house a considerable distance away from the library. In the Sambodhi children's orphanage situated opposite the library, only 42 out of 92 resident children survived. Thus an entire user group was washed away along with the library.

The National Ocean Museum established in 1992 in the Galle Fort was in ruins. 90% of the artefacts collected over the years from sunken ships and other archaeological sites in the surrounding ocean have been taken back by the sea. Dr Arthur C Clarke initiated the study of underwater archaeology in Sri Lanka a few decades ago. The technical equipment, computers, scanners and boats belonging to the museum have all been destroyed.

We had our lunch near the Galle harbour watching the damaged and upside down turned ships and boats. There were still no restaurants functioning in the town and we had to be satisfied with the sandwiches brought from Colombo.

We found a similar scene in the south of Galle. The public library at Ahangama was still standing minus one complete wall doors and windows. The library furniture and books were strewn everywhere. We were told that some of the books have been rescued. Through the rubble I managed to retrieve a book cover and part of a damaged book with the public library seal and handed them over to Ms Ornegar to keep as souvenirs of the historic trip.

At Kataluwa primary school we met the principal who recounted the devastation to the school with tears in her eyes. This 120-year-old school provided education to thousands of people over the years including Martin Wickramasinghe, the doyen of modern Sri Lankan literature. The entire school including the library was in ruin. She accepts that the disaster would have been so much worse in human terms had it been a normal school day. She and so many others like her will have nightmares for years to come.

We also visited the Martin Wickramasinghe Folk Museum at Koggala. Though it was closed for repairs the museum-keeper was kind enough to show us inside. The museum did not suffer much damage, as it is located some distance away from the sea and also the tourist hotels by the sea acted as a protective wall. Still salt water to about one foot in height had come into the building and damaged the floor and furniture of the museum. The guest house reserved for visitors and the children's library located in the same premises had suffered considerable damage. Susanne was happy to see the magnificent collection of Sri Lankan folk art in the museum.

The main public library of Matara also escaped severe damage. Only the foundation is remaining at the Dikwella public library a few kilometres south of Matara. In Gandara, Kottegoda, Batigama and a number of other places we found devastated schools, local authorities and other establishments. At times we were unable to find the exact location of once familiar libraries due to the destruction of entire stretches of areas erasing all landmarks. After some time we stopped visiting damaged or destroyed libraries, as it became a similar scene of devastation everywhere. The other staff travelling with us in a separate vehicle was entrusted with the task of obtaining necessary details and supporting photographs.

We spent the 8th night at the Tangalle Bay Hotel. It was a gruelling journey and all of us were happy to arrive at the hotel, which was functioning partially. The rooms and the facilities at the basement and ground floor level, closer to the sea were damaged by the tsunami. We were told that most of the other rooms were taken by American and Indian medical teams who were doing volunteer work in the area. It was fortunate that we made prior reservations as we saw a number of visitors being turned away by the management due to non-availability of accommodation. Other staff of the NLDSB was accommodated in a guest house near by. It was a comfortable rest although the choice of food was limited.

On Sunday morning after breakfast we started our journey towards Hambantota the last main town in the south coast. We went straight to Hambantota while the others visited yet more affected libraries. Hambantota, situated on the south-east corner of the island, appeared similar to Hiroshima after the atom bomb. An entire area close to the harbour and the sea was completely destroyed. Strangely the public library was still standing in the midst of this devastation. Only a few remnants were there on the ground floor of a once busy public library. The blades of the ceiling fans of the library were turned upwards due to the pressure of water.

We met the District Secretary, who is the chief administrative officer of the district at his office. He was extremely busy co-ordinating all rescue, relief and rehabilitation activities but was kind enough to receive us and explain the situation. While we were meeting with him a high-powered delegation from the Centre for National Operation (CNO) also joined us to assess the situation in the district.

On the return journey we took an inland road and came to Colombo via Ratnapura.

Press Conference

A press conference was held at the National Library on the afternoon of Monday, 10 January 2005. Mr Vijitha Herath, Minister of Cultural Affairs and National Heritage chaired the event. The pictures of the damaged libraries were shown to the media and the Minister. Dr Ornager, Chairman NLDSB and I explained some actions required for rebuilding library services. The minister informed the media of his intention of establishing a Tsunami Memorial Museum in Sri Lanka similar to the one in Japan on atom bomb devastation. This event received wide publicity through both electronic and print media.

Contact with CNO

President SLLA and I accompanied Dr Ornegar for a meeting with Dr Tara De Mel, Director, Centre for National Operation, which coordinate the entire relief, rehabilitation, and rebuilding operation Monday, 10 January 2005. Dr Ornager made the appointment over the telephone, but unfortunately Dr De mel was unable to keep the appointment due to some other pressing engagement. Instead we met Mr Sivaganam of the education task force of the centre. He explained the plans for rebuilding of the damaged schools and requested for our professional help in the school library development segment of the rebuilding exercise. Dr Ornager left Colombo on Tuesday, 11 January 2005.

Immediate Action Plan

Dr. Ornager contacted us on Thursday, 13 January 2005 and requested for a project proposal for an immediate action plan to resume library services in affected areas. An action plan was prepared and submitted to the SL DM LIS Committee on the following day. It was finalised by the committee and forwarded to New Delhi on Friday, 14 January 2005 to be submitted to Paris.

We are determined to turn this tragic event into a time of re-awakening and re-building for Sri Lanka. This is a unique experience in the library and information field in disaster management on a mammoth scale. With our plans for re-building I am confident that the world will witness an array of modern library and information centres on the coastal belt of Sri Lanka in the not too distant future.

I take this opportunity to thank all those who send messages of sympathy and who offered material and financial assistance in this hour of need. Thank You.

Upali Amarasiri
Director General
National Library and Documentation Services Board
Sri Lanka

"We encourage national library associations in major donor countries to urge aid organisations to support the early restoration of library services."

Kay Raseroka
President of IFLA