• Denizens & service providers of the Islands off the Jaffna Peninsula Coast outline issues of limited medical facilities including emergency transport/water supply/banks/cooperatives/school based sporting facilities/employment opps.

Anyone who hears about the Northern Province will naturally remember the lack of drinking water and various other social, economic and political issues faced by the people living in the Jaffna Peninsula. Due to the constant voices of various parties including politicians, and local and international rights organisations demanding solutions to such issues, Governments have worked to solve them to some extent from time to time.

However, it is doubtful whether the relevant parties have a sufficient understanding of the multitude of issues faced by the people living in the Islands off the coast of the Jaffna Peninsula such as Eluvaitivu, Analaitivu, Neduntheevu (Delft), Punkudutivu and Kayts. They have been suffering from a range of issues including those in key sectors such as health, education and transportation for several generations, with no prompt solution in sight.

The Daily Morning discussed with the people of these Islands their issues during a recent field visit organised by the Mannar Social and Economic Development Organisation (MSEDO).

A representative of the St. Thomas Fishermen's Cooperative Society in the Eluvaitivu Island said that the issues that they are facing are so serious that even residents who have lived there for decades are now leaving the Island. The lack of a hospital is one of the main problems that the Island residents face. On a plot of land donated by local residents, a medical centre built with the financial assistance of a resident of the Island who is now abroad is functioning, but it has very limited facilities to treat patients. "In the case of an emergency, the patients should be taken to hospitals in Jaffna or Kayts. For that, we have to use boats that are usually used for passenger transportation. It is very dangerous to take a patient with a condition such as a heart attack on such a boat. During the last three months, three residents lost their lives due to the long time that it took for the hospitalisation. The doctor at the medical centre has to come from Kankesanturai (KKS). It takes about three hours for him to reach here. We are asking the Government to provide an ambulance boat with an operator and assistant," the residents said.

The residents also said that the teachers of the school located on the Island have to reach the Island by boat and walk many kilometres to the school, and that therefore, many teachers are unable to reach the school on time. As a solution, they said that it would be very helpful if the authorities could provide a suitable means of transport, at least a cab, to go from the jetty to the school. "This is a very difficult school. There are no teachers for many subjects. There are students who are talented in sports, but there are no facilities for it. Even though the relevant authorities have been informed about this on many occasions, there is no solution. We are not asking for special facilities, but, these children should have the facilities available in schools in other parts of the country," a teacher from the school said.

More than 2,500 individuals belonging to 650 families in the Analaitivu Island also suffer from many issues such as the lack of adequate health facilities, the shortage of teachers and the non-availability of certain subjects in schools, and difficulties in finding employment opportunities. The Island has a small-scale Hospital and its Welfare Society`s Vice President M. Anoraj said that there is no nurse in the Hospital which consists of only two medical officers and two attendants. He claimed that the Hospital's in-patient wards are now decrepit, and that therefore, only the out-patient department (OPD) is functioning, and that treatment services have been greatly affected due to the shortage of drugs and medical equipment. Since the Hospital does not have the required facilities, he said that expectant mothers should go to Kayts or Jaffna to get admitted to Hospitals there, a week before the due date for delivery.

A member of the Island's Rural Development Committee, Thanusha Reginold said that if a suitable programme is implemented to support them, the Island's women can engage in some employment and help strengthen their families' economy. "We cannot go to remote areas and work. This Island has plenty of resources like Palmyrah trees. If we are provided with some training and other forms of support, we can be self-employed. Many females on the Island would like to do it, but, we have not received any form of support thus far." She further said that the issues commonly seen in today's society, such as domestic violence and children dropping out of school are less prevalent in the Island, and added that parents, who do not want their children to go through the hardships that they have been going through for decades, are working to ensure better education for the children despite many difficulties.

While his parents have spent their hard-earned money to ensure better education for him, 33-year-old Wasantham said that he has completed a degree programme at a state university, but that he has to earn a living by engaging in the fishing industry and by tutoring. Considering the situation that prevailed in the country in the recent past, he said that while it is understandable that it was difficult for the Government to recruit graduates for Government jobs, now that the situation has changed, it should reconsider its position. "Government institutions located in and around the Island, such as the National Water Supply and Drainage Board (NWSDB) offices, the public libraries and the Post offices, are currently understaffed, but, there are no plans to employ graduates."

The islanders also charged that there is no bank or automated teller machine (ATM) on the Island, and that therefore, they have to go to Kayts or Jaffna for related needs. The roads inside the Island are also very dilapidated and even though a bus belonging to the Sri Lanka Transport Board (SLTB) operates on the roads, the residents claimed however that the bus does not operate three to four days a week due to frequent breakdowns. They lamented that many of the Island's dwellers do not have the means to hire three-wheelers when the bus is not running, although a handful of residents could do so.

Fishing is the livelihood of many people living in the Islands of Eluvaitivu, Analaitivu, Neduntheevu (Delft), Punkudutivu and Kayts, but, it has now become difficult for them to engage in the Industry due to Indian fishermen fishing illegally in the Sri Lankan waters. Representative of a fishermen's organisation on the Island of Delft, Raymond cited the incident of Indian trawlers damaging the fishing nets of a group of fishermen of these Islands on 24 December of last year (2023) as a prime example. As a result of that incident, fishing nets and other fishing gear worth nearly Rs. 6.7 million have been damaged.

Another common issue faced by the people living in these Islands is that the prices of many commodities in the shops are higher than the prices in Jaffna. "Kerosene is essential for fishing activities for the people living in these Islands. In fact, kerosene should be provided at a lower price, but the price of kerosene in the Islands is Rs. 30-50 higher than the price in other parts of the country including Jaffna. The reason is that the traders say that they have to transport kerosene by boat. Starting from the materials needed to build a house, such as cement and sand, to daily household items like rice, dhal, sugar and flour, the prices of many commodities are higher than their prices in Jaffna," explained the residents. They suggested that this problem could be solved if shops like Sathosa, which operate under the supervision of the Government, located in other parts of the country, are established in the Islands.

The drinking water crisis is among the most common issues prevalent in these Islands. There are wells near the houses on the Islands, but their water is very salty. Let alone for drinking, whether that water can be used for cooking or other needs is questionable. On some of the Islands, from a considerable distance from the coast-line are wells with less-salty water, but, most of them don’t appear to have undergone any recent restoration. For example, five such wells were seen in the Eluvaitivu Island, and the water in those wells did not seem to be in a usable condition. Since there were some water pipe systems lying on some Islands, The Daily Morning queried the local residents as to whether the Islands have been supplied with piped water to which they replied that no piped water has been supplied. However, they alleged that in order to earn commissions, the authorities have launched various fruitless projects.

While it is very clear that the people living on these Islands are suffering from many hardships, the residents claimed that some of the Government institutions located there are also functioning without even the basic facilities. Confirming their claims, a sub-Post office running in a very old, dilapidated building could be seen on the Eluvaitivu Island. Consisting only of a chair and a table dedicated for the Postmaster, it has no other facilities, not even electricity. When queried as to how they provide certain postal services for which electricity is required, the Postmaster said that she used her mobile phone in such cases. Islands such as Delft are powered by diesel generators, so there are frequent short-term power outages.

Residents said that it would take a long time for them to spend a life like those in other parts of the country in all aspects, but opined that a handful of practical solutions such as providing high quality passenger boats and ambulance boats, developing public transport facilities within the Islands, establishing at least one state bank in each Island, expanding access to drinking water, and addressing the shortage of teachers in schools would make them avoid many of the issues that they currently face and lead a life with less trouble.