FAO says many areas hit by Asian tsunami still in critical condition

The UN Food and Agriculture Organization (FAO) warned on Thursday that many areas on the devastating Indian Ocean tsunami zone at the end of the last year, were still in a critical condition.

"Half a million people in Indonesia are still living in temporary shelter. Entire communities were destroyed," according to Alex Jones, FAO's post-tsunami operations coordinator. There was a danger that international attention and donor support would come to an end before the recovery was complete, he said. " Sustainable recovery requires a five to ten year effort."

FAO Director-General Jacques Diouf said: "The donor response to the tsunami disaster was huge, but there were still delays in getting help to the people who needed it most. What the world needs is a standby global disaster fund that would make immediate intervention possible."

FAO has been active in all the tsunami-affected countries since the disaster of December 26, 2004, playing a lead role in advising governments on rehabilitation in the fisheries and agriculture sectors as well as helping repair and replace lost and damaged boats and equipment and restoring damaged farmland.

FAO has also built partnerships with civil society organizations and helps coordinating reconstruction activities.

In Indonesia, to date more than 2000 members of the fishing and fish-processing communities and more than 12000 farmers have resumed productive activities as a direct result of FAO assistance. An additional 30000 farmers are currently receiving support from FAO that will allow them to resume self-sustaining and income- generating activities.

FAO assistance has taken the form of training boat-builders, boat repairs, supplying boat engines, fishing nets, fish processing equipment, seeds, fertilizer and farm tools, motorized cultivators,cash-for-work to clear debris from farm land, advice on dealing with salt water damage, recommending sustainable timber- use policies, and planning coastal management.

Source: Xinhua