Tsunami aid flows drying up?

Two months after the tsunami the United Nations (UN) says rehabilitation aid from the international community is slowing down.





Two months after the tsunami the United Nations (UN) says rehabilitation aid from the international community is slowing down. The UN reports that although aid pledges from the rest of the world to rehabilitate tsunami wrecked countries comes to over US$ 6 bn, cash collection is only US$ 721 mn.

In Sri Lanka a senior advisor to the President, Mano Tittawella, was reported last week saying that not all pledges to the island are likely to materialise.

"Overall aid pledged so far from, or through governments, non-governmental organizations (NGOs), business and private sources totals US$ 6.

28 bn," said the UN Office for the Coordination of Humanitarian Affairs (OCHA) that is supervising overall relief.

Despite the impressive pledges, however the UN was not able to raise even its total estimate on immediate rehabilitation.

The UN flash appeal in Jakarta, Indonesia in early January called on the international community to contribute US$ 979 mn for immediate rehabilitation.

But by now o