Summary
Content
The Logistics Cluster’s objective is to provide a support platform for logistics coordination for all humanitarian actors in order to avoid duplication and to improve the effectiveness of humanitarian intervention. World Food Programme (WFP) is the global Logistics Cluster lead. In Sri Lanka, it’s referred to as Inter Agency Logistics.
Jaffna Peninsula and town
The Jaffna Peninsula is the northern tip of Sri Lanka. The total land area including inland water is 1,200 km². The north east monsoon (October to January) accounts for more than 90% of the annual rainfall. The town and peninsula have been under siege several times over the past twenty years. After the closure of the A9 access road in August 2006 due to increased fighting between the Government of Sri Lanka (GoSL) and the Liberation Tigers of Tamil Eelam (LTTE), the peninsula has been relatively isolated. This is starting to change now that the A9 has opened for limited commercial transport and buses.
Supply chain
Humanitarian agencies are currently not allowed to bring supplies to Jaffna via the A9 using their own vehicles. There are limited opportunities for the use of commercial transport. Relief supplies are therefore mostly sourced locally or brought in by vessel. As local supplies are limited and transport by vessel is more expensive than by road, the humanitarian supply chain would benefit greatly from full opening of the A9. With the large numbers of IDPs expected to be resettled to this area (at least 30,000) over the coming months, the demand for relief supplies will increase. Price levels of commodities rose significantly after the A9 closed, but have recently come down as commercial trucking on the A9 is now allowed.
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