Everything was in chaos after the tsunami hit Sri Lanka in December 2004. 35,000 lives were lost and many of the 18 million or so inhabitants were without clean water and proper sanitary conditions.
Having worked on the island for many years, COWI's local knowledge stood them in good stead during the mayhem that ensued.
Action plans
"The Sri Lankan water authorities and Danida asked us for a quick assessment of the need for help in restoring clean water and sanitation in four coastal districts." "We had only weeks to put together the assessment and an action plan but our Sri Lankan key staff responded to the emergency rapidly. Crucially, they enabled us to map the problems and priorities within the deadline and draw up an action plan for properly deploying efforts and funds," says COWI's marketing area manager, Vagn Rehøj.
Accomplished quickly
"Our experience has already been used in other coastal areas of Sri Lanka, and given the right local people and relevant specialist knowledge, drawing up a priority action plan after such a disaster can be accomplished quickly," Vagn Rehøj says.By Eva Isager, jaje@cowi.com Published: 26.04.2007