Guidelines for post disaster housing in coastal Sri Lanka

UNDER the guidance of Ministry of Housing and Construction, the National Housing Development Authority (NHDA) supported by the German Technical Co-operation (GTZ) through a Tsunami Housing Support Project (THSP) implemented on behalf of the German Federal Ministry of Economic Corporation and Development has published Guidelines for Post Disaster Housing in Coastal Sri Lanka, states a National Housing Development Authority press release.

The primary objective of this guideline is to cater to the needs of all categories of actors involved in the post-tsunami re-housing endeavors within the coastal belt. At the same time, the need to address other, more frequent natural disasters such as cyclones and floods is also recognized.

As an initial step, the disaster-resistance issues that primarily affect the coastal belt of Sri Lanka, has been given high priority in this document.

The Guidelines are intended to cover the technical requirements relating to several natural disasters that might affect the coastal belt, such as tidal wave, earth tremors, floods and high winds.

The Guideline contains two sections: Section 1 deals with Sri Lankan building regulations applicable to the coastal belt. These are culled from the relevant guidelines issued by the Urban Development Authority (UDA), local authorities and the Coast Conservation Department (CCD).

Section 2 deals with "best practices" in the areas of participatory development approach, settlement planning, neighbourhood and housing layout for energy efficiency and thermal comfort, sustainable design, appropriate use of materials, disaster-resistant housing and best practices in the provision of infrastructure services.

While the former presents a quick guide to the current statutory provisions with respect to housing in the coastal belt, the latter is a distillation of the collective wisdom of key stakeholders in the area of housing provision.

This is culled from stakeholders as diverse as academia, professional organizations, non-governmental actors, grassroot activists and users. It is hoped that the second section would grow over time, leading to a more rounded codification of best practices in the area of post-disaster housing reconstruction.

The Guideline was ceremonially launched on December 21st at Bandaranaike Memorial International Conference Hall, Colombo 07 under the patronage of Minister of Housing and Construction, Mrs. Ferial Ashraff. The NHDA has published the entire Guideline in their website www.nhda.lk.