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by Prof. S.T. Hettige,Department of Sociology, University of Colombo

It is a distressing experience for anyone to see so much debris scattered around in the tsunami affected areas, particularly in large towns. Removing the debris from these settlement sites had become urgent to pave the way for reconstruction and resettlement work.

Given the extremely large amount of ruins from damaged houses, commercial buildings and infrastructure that need to be removed, it is essential that we dispose of them carefully, without causing further environmental damage or public nuisance. It is against this background that we have to find the best possible way to dispose of the debris.

When I was thinking about it while going through some of the devastated settlements in the South, what came to my mind was whether we could use this solid material to create artificial mounds at strategically selected sites in a manner that would serve a number of useful purposes, including the protection of human life in the event of a future natural disaster like floods and tsunami.

When the tsunami waves struck, it was largely physically weaker persons such as children, the elderly men and women and the disabled who suffered most. They could not run fast enough to reach higher ground.

In some areas there was no higher ground at a reasonable distance even for physically strong people to run to; the land is only a few feet above the sea level for more than a mile.

This is particularly so in the North and East. If there were small hills or mounds close to the settlements, many people, including the physically weak, would have escaped death.

In fact, wherever there was higher ground in the vicinity, people moved there and saved their lives while their houses were destroyed. It is necessary to have a narrow buffer zone from the beach, say hundred meters, but in many places waves have extended beyond such a narrow strip.

On the other hand, it is unrealistic to limit economic activities along the coast, though settlements can perhaps be built beyond the buffer zone. In other words, measures have to be taken to safeguard the lives of people who use physical space both within and beyond the buffer zone.

Now the question is whether we could use solid waste that is strewn around in the affected areas to build nicely landscaped mounds, say about 2 feet high, in areas where the inhabitants find no higher ground in the vicinity either within or outside the buffer zone?

I cannot imagine that this is not possible because our forefathers had built earthen bunds to hold back large amounts of water in massive reservoirs in the Dry Zone.

The mounds are, of cause not meant to hold back sea water; it is to let the water to flow around them, so that the people who climb to the summit of the mound can most probably save their lives.

I have no knowledge of civil or structural engineering or hydrology. So, I do not know whether earth mounds can be designed in such a way to withstand the waves that move inland in the case of a tsunami.

On the other hand, the technology must be there to help experts to design and build such mounds, using both the solid debris and other construction material. If this is possible, artificially built mounds can be a socially useful aspect of the reconstructed urban and rural settlements.

The artificially built mounds should not be isolated, unstable heaps of rubble. it can perhaps be designed in such a way as to allow a large number of people to find refuge in case of a tsunami or floods in the area.

A well landscaped mound with a good vegetative cover and a large terrace on top can be maintained as a public park that can be used by the local people on a regular basis.

In fact, in many densely populated areas in the country, there are not many public parks today. That is why we see children and youth using narrow streets to play cricket.

Building mounds in tsunami affected areas is no substitute for such long term measures as an early warning system and promotion of life skills. An early warning system would give us enough time to evacuate people into the interior of the country.

On the other hand, if there is no adequate prior warning, people could only run to higher ground or an upper floor of a solidly constructed building. In many villages, the affected people had access to neither.

Scientifically designed and well-landscaped mounds may be valuable in symbolic, aesthetic and utilitarian terms. These mounds can stand as memorials to those who were killed by the tsunami.

Unlike heaps of rubble haphazardly dumped in different places, well-landscaped mounds can add to the scenic beauty of the low lying coastal areas. And finally, as mentioned before, well-maintained mounds can be useful public spaces for local people for recreation purposes.

One the other hand, technical experts should tell us whether they can also be developed in such a way as to protect human life in case of natural diasters like tsunamis or floods.

I hope the relevant professionals in this country would enlighten us on the feasibility or otherwise of the idea that I have elaborated in this short article.

If it is feasible, we could already deposit the debris at pre-selected sites so that they can be developed later as properly landscaped mounds, after the most urgent reconstruction and resettlement work is completed.

These mounds may perhaps be the contribution of the construction contractors who are given the contracts for large reconstruction projects. Responsibility of maintaining the mounds can be entrusted to the local councils or large private firms.

These mounds, if built adjacent to settlements and public institutions like schools can also create a sense of security in the minds of vulnerable groups such as children and the elderly. This itself would add to the quality of life and well-being of people who have been traumatized beyond imagination.

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