The United Nations World Food Programme (WFP) yesterday completed its largest delivery of food to internally displaced persons (IDPs) in the Wanni region of northern Sri Lanka since humanitarian convoys began delivering food in October.
The convoy delivered 870 tonnes of food, enough to feed over 230,000 people for a week, to Puthukkudiyiruppu, a WFP statement said.
Since the beginning of the food convoy operation, WFP in co-operation with the Government and other stakeholders had dispatched a total of 4,990 tonnes of mixed food commodities to meet the food needs of an estimated 200,000 to 230,000 IDPs.
In addition, a total of 781 tonnes of rice, locally procured by WFP in the Wanni, is part of the overall food distribution. Although WFP planned to send 750 tonnes of food weekly, delays because of technical, administrative and weather-related constraints (security, bad road conditions, flooding) have prevented the full requirements to be met.
WFP is fully committed to continuing the regular dispatches of convoys to the Wanni to ensure that the IDP needs are met, and is receiving consistent support from all stakeholders. This convoy was the eighth to be sent to the Wanni. A ninth one is under preparation with 829 tonnes of food – enough to feed about 230,000 people for one week.
WFP provides food assistance to 1.1 million people in Sri Lanka, including IDPs, school children and other vulnerable people.
Courtesy: Dailymirror.lk