By Maheesha Mudugamuwa Ten years since the war ended and four years since the present Government came into power, significant housing challenges still remain, especially in war-affected areas. The war lasted for nearly three decades, resulting in an estimated two million people being forced out of their homes in all five districts in the North – Jaffna, Kilinochchi, Mullaitivu, Mannar, and Vavuniya. It was estimated that the number of damaged and destroyed houses in the Northern Province was around 230,000. After the conflict ended in May 2009, the Government commenced an accelerated resettlement programme in November 2009 to allow internally displaced persons (IDPs) to return to their original places of residence. Soon after the present Government came into power in 2015, a number of housing projects were launched by the Ministry of Housing and Construction to tackle the lack of access to housing among vulnerable groups such as the Urban Regeneration Project and Model Village, focusing on low-income groups in the urban, rural, and estate sectors. The never-ending crisis However, The Sunday Morning learnt that these projects are yet to resolve the pressing needs of the country’s most underprivileged families in the war-affected areas. The Housing Need Assessment and Data Survey (HNADS) conducted by the Housing and Construction Ministry in 2016 revealed that only 5.2 million out of six million Sri Lankan families own a house. It was also revealed that over 216,197 families were homeless and landless while another 166,841 families only own a plot of land. In the Jaffna District, one of the worst affected areas due to the three-decade civil war, a total number of 16,674 families out of 190,475 were homeless and landless while another 22,286 families possesses only a block of land. Speaking to The Sunday Morning, National Housing Development Authority (NHDA) Jaffna District Manager M. Raveendran said that a total number of 2,077 model villages had been built by the authority so far this year. “In addition, 124 houses have been built under the Indian Grant Housing Programme,” he added. In the Vavuniya District, it was reported that a total of 2,061 families were homeless and landless in 2016 while 6,000 families possessed only a block of land. Speaking to The Sunday Morning, NHDA Vuvuniya District Manager M.V. Croos said at the end of 2009, there were only 55 housing projects in the district but at the end of 2017, there were around 79 ongoing housing projects. “But the number of families in need of houses has seen an increase over the years, and as at present, around 1,000 more houses are needed,” she said. When asked if war-affected families had already been resettled, Croos stated that some families had been resettled but more need to be resettled in the future. In the Mullaitivu District, it was reported that a total of 1,704 families were both homeless and landless while 7,631 families possessed only a block of land. According to NHDA Mullaitivu District Manager V.K. Gamage, there are 76 ongoing housing projects in Mullaitivu. Each scheme contains 25 houses, and seven villages had already been completed and given to the families. Another four projects would be completed within the next few weeks, he explained. Gamage also told The Sunday Morning that construction of another 2,273 houses were going on for flood-affected victims, and in addition, Rs. 100,000 loans were also being given to some families to construct new houses. All in all, there are around 12,874 ongoing housing projects, he added. However, at present, the Mullaitivu District needs more than 11,600 new houses, especially for new families, he added. According to statistics, a total of 1,059 families were homeless and landless in 2016 while another 9,986 families possessed only a block of land. NHDA Kilinochchi District Manager T. Subaskaran told The Sunday Morning that there were 102 ongoing housing projects in Kilinochchi at present with 1,383 houses. In addition, five Indian housing schemes projects comprising 24 houses have also been built. According to him, in Kilinochchi, there was a demand for an additional 10,674 houses. Luxury vs. affordability The homelessness and landlessness issues are not only limited to war-affected areas, but also prevail in the southern part of the country. The North was affected mainly because of vulnerability and poverty, while in the South, the reason for homelessness and landlessness is the lack of affordability. According to the HNADS, about 83,593 families completely moved out and live on rent while another 79,680 families temporarily live on rent but possess permanent residences in other areas. While many families were struggling to secure a roof over their heads with basic facilities, the real estate market has significantly grown over the past few years. According to a report published by the Research Intelligence Unit (RIU), it was estimated that there would be around 6,000 units of luxury apartments in the commercial capital by 2018/19. As a result, land and housing prices have increased dramatically, especially in urban areas where real estate companies have launched super luxury housing projects. The luxury housing projects are not expanding affordable housing opportunities for the poor in a way that reduces homelessness or landlessness. Therefore, a housing supply crisis is to blame for the lack of affordable housing in the southern part of the country. The concept of affordable housing revolves around some key parameters such as provision of basic amenities, cost of the house, and location of the house. According to the statistics available at the Department of Census and Statistics (DCS), the estimated average household income per month at national level was Rs. 45, 878 in 2012/13 in Sri Lanka. Mean estimated household income increased by 25.9% from the previous survey year (2009/10). As a measure of tackling the housing issues of middle-income earners, the Ministry has launched several projects that suit them through loan schemes under “Enterprise Sri Lanka”, by implementing housing development projects through the “Gamperaliya” programme, and by developing 1,500-square-feet low-cost, liveable housing units through the “Science at Work” challenge. The “Home Sweet Home” loan scheme introduced under Enterprise Sri Lanka for newly married couples aims to provide a concessionary loan of up to Rs. 10 million at a 6% interest rate, and a repayment period of 25 years. Meanwhile, “Sihina Maliga” provides loans to migrant workers registered under the Sri Lanka Bureau of Foreign Employment (SLBFE). The loan of Rs. 10 million, of which the Government will bear 75% of the interest cost, will be granted under several stages. The Government has also paid attention to disaster-resilient housing in rural and urban areas through a proposal to convert the temporary roofs of 25,000 units into permanent roofs under the Gamperaliya programme. Even though the Government has provided a diverse range of housing options at reasonable prices to middle-income earners, experts doubt whether these projects will provide a solution to the pressing need of the sector. In the meantime, while home ownership has increased overall throughout the past few decades, there is a disproportionate number of vacant units today; many apartments have owners, but not residents. At the same time, an increasing number of people are living in slums and illegal settlements, as cash-strapped municipalities struggle to provide social housing to their most vulnerable citizens.

Increasing slums

By Tharumalee Silva Combatting the issue of the growing number of slums in Colombo and its urban areas has been a difficult task faced by those working in the Urban Development Authority (UDA). What was once a method of temporary housing until those people could afford proper, legal housing after coming to the industrialised city of Colombo for a better life, has now developed into a generation-old practice and lifestyle. On the topic of combating this issue which still ails Colombo, UDA Chairman Dr. Jagath Munasinghe conversed with The Sunday Morning and explained the institution’s efforts to combat the menace. “We have come up with a solution to provide them with housing on a loan scheme where we provide them with apartments under the condition that they pay Rs. 1 million over the course of 30 years. There are agreements signed, and if they do not fulfil the requirements of the agreement, the UDA takes measures to cut off electricity and the water supply to the respective house,” he said. He further stated that the UDA recognised this problem back in 2015 and came up with a programme to construct housing schemes in order to provide the people living in these areas with a better quality of life. “The Social Upliftment Programme” constructed five housing schemes for people living in these uninhabitable areas to transfer into. “We provided incentives towards free preschool education, tuition classes, and programmes towards talent development, youth empowerment, and drug prevention,” Munasinghe said. According to him, the narcotic menace is able to spread easily through these areas as it is almost impossible to track down the ongoing affairs within this community. “It is very congested, and these people lack the mindset to say no. They lack the education and moral understanding of what is right and wrong, and the Social Upliftment Programme combats all of these problems,” he clarified. According to UDA statistics, in 2012, there were 60,000 families living in slums in Colombo, which was reduced to 40,000 in 2019. He stated that the civilians who were transferred from slums into developed areas have no problem adjusting to their new lifestyles. “They have been living in these conditions for years. Their grandparents and great grandparents have come to Colombo to lead new lives, but their quality of life considerably dropped after coming here.” He informed that the President too introduced a new presidential special task force with relation to combating this issue. Munasinghe also noted that the UDA has taken action against those who were attempting to rent out these given apartments and go back to living their normal lifestyles in the slums. “We have taken strict actions against those who were caught committing these crimes,” he said.