President Emphasizes Need for Sustainable Solutions for Communities Living in High-Risk Areas
President Anura Kumara Dissanayake today (04) instructed officials of the Ministry of Finance and National Housing Development Authority (NHDA) to ensure that the identification of fully and partially damaged houses affected by adverse weather conditions is carried out according to a proper and transparent methodology. He further directed them to establish a special mechanism to gather accurate data efficiently, which is essential for the compensation process.
These directives were issued during a meeting held this morning (04) at the Presidential Secretariat between President Dissanayake and officials of the Ministry of Finance and NHDA.
The discussion was convened to review the damage caused to houses by Cyclone Ditwah and to assess the progress of the compensation process.
Highlighting the importance of providing long-term, stable solutions to people living in high-risk and disaster-prone areas so that they are not repeatedly affected by such calamities, the President instructed officials to prioritize the collection of reliable data to support these efforts.
Officials of the Housing Development Authority briefed the President that, according to preliminary assessments, 1,289 houses have been completely destroyed, while approximately 44,500 houses have sustained partial damage due to landslides and related impacts.
Minister of Housing, Construction and Water Supply Susil Ranasinghe, Secretary to the Ministry of Finance Dr. Harshana Suriyapperuma, Director General of the National Budget Department Jude Nilukshan, Chairman of the National Housing Development Authority Aravinda Sirinatha and several other senior officials were present for the discussion.
