Residents of a housing complex in the Galle district built for families that had lost their homes in the 2004 tsunami say the houses are sub-standard and are already showing cracks in the floors and walls. In fact, some families have decided to abandon their new houses and live in shacks they have put up on land belonging to the complex.
The housing complex, in Walahandurwa, Akmeemana, was built by the Foreign Ministry in memory of the late Foreign Minister, Lakshman Kadirgamar. The new village was created with tsunami aid received from foreign governments, welfare organisations and donations from Sri Lankans living abroad.
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| Leaking roofs and cracked walls mar new complex. |
A total of 92 houses in the complex have been completed, while another 92 are under construction.
Families that have moved in to some of the houses say the facilities at the complex are unsatisfactory. Leaking roofs, cracks in walls, and a poor sewage system are some of their complaints.
The complex is built on high land, but hasty foundation work has led to various problems. For example, during the rainy season earth is washed away, causing blockages on the network of roads leading to the complex. Three-wheelers have a hard time getting to the complex, they say.
Eighty percent of the residents are fishermen, but because of the inland location they have to travel a long distance, 20 kilometres, to reach the sea, which is an inconvenience.
Gamini Mapalagama, the occupant of one of the completed houses, said that each house in the complex was supposed to have been built at a cost of Rs. 800,000, but the quality of the houses suggests that much less had been spent on each unit.
Lalitha Malini, president of a women’s association established in the area, said she moved into one of the houses at the complex in late 2005, but has still not received a permit saying she is the official resident.
She said children living at the complex are badly hit. Parents find it hard to get their children admitted to schools for various reasons, and the complex lacks a library and a children’s playground.
She also said the complex needed a new bridge, because the present bridge was a makeshift one. | 
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