Government Bans Rebuilding Homes in Hazardous Areas for Displaced Persons

 The government will not under any circumstances allow people displaced by landslides to return to their dangerous homes or lands, says Prabath Chandrakirthi, Commissioner General of Essential Services. The government has taken this decision to prevent the resettlement of people in areas scientifically identified as being at risk of landslides.

He further stated that steps would be taken to acquire such identified landslide-prone lands by the government,

and instead provide alternative lands for those who have lost their lands and homes. Furthermore, necessary amendments to existing land laws are to be made expeditiously to legally prevent people from resettling in such hazardous areas.

Mr. Chandrakirthi pointed out that after the tsunami disaster in the past, although the government provided new lands to the affected people, it did not acquire coastal lands susceptible to sea erosion or tsunami risk. As a result, many displaced persons kept the new lands they received,

and returned to reside in their old hazardous lands. This time, to prevent such a situation, it has been decided to compulsorily acquire lands at risk of landslides by the government.

Meanwhile, the Commissioner further stated that a Post-Disaster Needs Assessment (PDNA) would first be conducted to obtain an accurate and clear picture of the damage caused to the country and its people by the cyclone. It is expected that this assessment, carried out by the National Planning Department of the Ministry of Finance, will take at least three months to complete.