• Ditwah-house construction hit by material, labour shortages

Residents forced to leave their lands following Cyclone Ditwah because the areas were identified as high-risk zones will be allowed to cultivate plantations approved by the National Building Research Institute (NBRI), instead of having their lands taken over by the Government, The Daily Morning learnt.

Additional Secretary (Disaster Management Division) at the Defence Ministry, Dharmathilaka Gamage, said the Government would not take over the lands of people who lost access to them due to Ditwah or because their locations were identified as high-risk areas, provided the lands were not situated within protected areas.

“But they can’t go back and settle there. However, if they’re willing to, they can cultivate these lands, but they should grow crops approved by the NBRI,” he said.

According to Gamage, the earlier circular did not permit any activity on these lands, and some structures were even considered “unauthorised constructions” because of their locations. Under the revised arrangement, affected residents would receive financial assistance to build houses on safe land, while their existing lands would not be taken over by the Government, he said.

He added that, as some people might find it difficult to find suitable land immediately, the Government would provide Rs. 1 million each to enable them to build interim houses on their existing land.

Following Ditwah, many residents in affected areas, including the Badulla, Nuwara Eliya and Ratnapura Districts, had to leave their homes because the houses were either destroyed by the cyclone or located on lands identified by the NBRI as high-risk areas for habitation.

However, a shortage of construction materials and skilled labour is slowing the construction of houses for people affected by Ditwah, with the Badulla District facing significant challenges amid ongoing housing projects across the country, The Daily Morning learnt.

The closure of up to eight quarries in the District due to landslide risks, shortages of sand and a limited number of masons are adding to construction delays.

Senior Assistant Secretary and Media Spokesperson of the National Disaster Relief Services Centre, Prageeth Danansooriya, told The Daily Morning that 3,912 houses were to be built in the District following the Ditwah disaster, but only 15 had been completed so far.

“In Nuwara Eliya and Kegalle, people have completely moved out of the camps, with the Government paying their rental fees. But there are still camps in Badulla. There are 3,912 houses to be built in Badulla for those who have lost their homes,” he said.

He added that the country's existing construction capacity was insufficient to meet the additional demand for housing within a short period.

“There’s a capacity to build only the number of houses that are normally built in a year. The number of masons available in the country is limited to that capacity. The amount of sand and rock required for the houses is also substantial. However, eight quarries in Badulla have been closed as they have been identified as being in landslide-risk areas. Hence, there’s an issue in finding sufficient materials,” he said.

Danansooriya further identified finding suitable land for construction as another major challenge, noting that the approval process was also taking time.

“Some people have to be directed to two, three or even four different plots of land before the NBRI finally approves a site as suitable for building a house,” he said.

According to Centre reports, of the 31,720 houses to be built across the country following the damage caused by Ditwah, 1,264 had been completed to date, leaving 30,456 houses yet to be built in the coming years amid these challenges.