CERF allocates US$1.7 million for emergency water and food for thousands of families in Sri Lanka

On 10 July, the Central Emergency Response Fund (CERF) provided US$1.7 million for the provision of water and food to drought-stricken communities in Sri Lanka.

The failed annual northeast monsoon, which runs from December to February and supplies water for Sri Lanka’s agricultural production, resulted in severe crop losses and water shortages. By the end of March 2014, over 240,000 families had been affected, according to the UN Office for the Coordination of Humanitarian Affairs.

Most people in the affected areas rely on small scale farming activities and Sri Lanka faced steep increases the price of rice, a staple part of the Sri Lankan diet.

The funding from CERF will assist the World Food Programme and the UN Children’s Fund in their recovery efforts through the provision of potable water and food for 60,000 people. For more information click here.