Living in hazardous areas: Relocation gets primacy over resilient rebuilding
Govt. offers rental and construction support, Rs. 25k allowance for 3 months to be extended to another 6 months for temp. renting and eventual relocation to housing complexes built on donated lands, Rs. 5 m for those with own safe land to build, Rs. 10 m for those without land but are willing to build
The Housing, Construction and Water Supply Ministry informed that their focus is on relocating displaced people to non-hazardous areas rather than reconstructing disaster-resistant housing in zones deemed vulnerable.Speaking to The Daily Morning, the Deputy Housing, Construction and Water Supply Minister, T.B. Sarath stated that while the Government is consulting with architects and the Tri-Forces on making housing plans for the displaced that fulfil their social life, the current focus is not on building disaster-resilient structures in hazardous areas. “The plan is to relocate the displaced to non-hazardous areas,” he said.This approach follows repeated concerns from international experts on construction in hazardous zones. The UN Assistant Secretary-General and the Regional Bureau for Asia and the Pacific of the UN Development Program Director, Kanni Wignaraja has emphasized that Sri Lanka must strengthen its infrastructure and preparedness for severe disasters. She has advocated for construction using “materials with design and technology that can withstand much harsher climate action.”
Responding to questions on long-term plans for the displaced, Sarath further detailed the immediate steps being taken for the displaced, noting the Ministry is encouraging people in camps to move into rental housing and does not plan to maintain camps long-term. “Most people earlier in camps/shelters have now gone to live with their relatives or gone back to clean their houses,” he said. “The others will be given a Rs. 25,000 allowance for three months and the Government expects to extend it further up to six months to temporarily live in a rental house.”
For permanent solutions, the Ministry is systematically collecting data on the displaced. They are to be relocated to housing complexes built on donated lands. The Government has also outlined financial assistance: those with safe land of their own will receive Rs. 5 million to build a home, while those without land but are willing to build will be provided with Rs. 10 million.
