Community Focused Disaster Response Team "KOMARI Project"

	History	Terrain
	Culture	Weather
	Economy	Vegetation
	Infrastructure
	Demographics
	Time Zone
	Location

History:

The name Komari comes from a legend over 1000 years old that tells of a previous tsunami. To appease the sea god, King Kelanitissa of Maya Rata sacrifices his daughter, sending the Princess Devi out onto the ocean in a canoe. The canoe washes ashore, and is spotted by servants of the King Kavantissa. Kavantissa hurries to meet the Princess, but the wind has washed her canoe away. The villagers are asked "Ko Kumari?" (where is the Princess?). Then the villager replied the princess must be in that town (Ara Ga-me) pointing to what is now known as Arugambe.

The people of this town were victims of the two decade long Sri Lankan civil war. The government’s Special Task Forces have been controlling these eastern small towns since 1996. Following the cease fire agreement in 2001 people of Komari have been enterprising and have built their economy over the past three years. It is quite evident that it was a very beautiful town now ruined by the forces of the Tsunami.

Culture:

Komari is a simple Tamil community. Although the people are predominantly of one race there are differences among the natives as a result of disparity in religions: Hindu and Christian and also differences in social status. The town is small enough that everyone knows each other. Any two people living in the town being related is very much a given.

Economy:

Over 70 percent of the Komari income is from the Paddy industry. Parts of the elevated lands are Peanut cultivations. The coconut trees in town bare enough nuts for the local consumption.

Livestock is possibly the second largest economy in Komari. A couple of people own herds of over 250 cattle. Most of the cattle are milking cows. The nearest milk collection center is in Ampara 60 km from Komari. A few people raise goats, predominantly, for meat. The vegetation is not as rich as in the highlands of our island. Therefore, the Komari livestock industry is neglected.

Approximately 5 percent (137) of the population are registered fishermen. No more than 20 of them are ocean fishermen and the remaining are lagoon fishermen. Ocean fish is boat by Pothuvile merchants to for markets in big cities such as Colombo and Kandy. The lagoon is a nutritious breeding ground for seasonal harvesting of shellfish: Crab and Shrimp.

Most families have at least one family member working oversees. Fraction of the overseas income is adequate to support a family and in addition, save some for small investments

Infrastructure:

The A4 road runs directly through town. Hence, Komari can be accessed from the south: Pothuvile and the north: Thirukovile. The only public transportation: busses are not the most comfortable but are reliable. The town has a couple of three wheel taxis (Tuk Tuk). Most own motorcycle and Many use Bicycles for short commutes. Side saddling is a common mode for woman passengers.

Komari people have never paid for water because of the free water from open wells. These parts of the country have a bed of salt water and a thin lens of rain water sitting on top of the salt water. The average depth is less than 12 meters.

Since electricity from the main grid was not available most people relied on Kerosene to light lamps. Quite a few houses managed solar power to illuminate the rooms. The affluent ran generators to power consumer appliances that could not be powered by solar charged batteries. Central Electricity Board has extended their network to Komari. However, electricity is not yet transmitted through these lines.

Sri Lanka Telecom has not rolled out voice and data communication services. SLT presence will depend on the minimal demand. Mobitel and Dialog are the two telephone providers that cover some parts of the town. Access to internet still remains an unsolved problem.

Demographics:
Population: 3000
Families: 750
School-Age Children: 750

Time Zone (EST):

UTC + 6DT

Location:

Latitude - 6.9833 Longitude – 81.8667

Lat (DMS) - 6° 58' 60N Long (DMS) - 81° 52' 0E

Altitude (meters) – 0

Terrain:

Flat sandy land flanked by the ocean and the lagoon with a random distribution of granite boulders towering average 3 - 10 meters in height.

Weather:

Temperature – 27⁰ C to 42⁰ C

Rainfall – 50 cm per annum

Wind –

Vegetation:

The warm dry climate and sandy terrain limits the vegetation. Palm trees are the most susceptible. Other trees such ass Mango, Cashew, Hora, Kohomba etc also adhere to the climate. Murunga and Glissidia are the only two significant shrubs in town. There are numerous varieties of shrubs in the jungles. Under growth is scarce in town and can only be seen in the neighboring wildlife preserves and protected jungle areas.