Financial Times

Town planners propose 15 projects in new townships
The Town and Country Planners' Association of Sri Lanka has identified more than 15 projects in re-developing the townships that were destroyed in the tsunami, three months ago.

W.A. Siriwardene, Association President, told The Sunday FT last week that the recommendations have been finalised for approval by the government. The projects are to be funded by the Planning Institute of Australia (PIA).

Siriwardene said that the entire coastal belt has been included in the recommendations, which have been finalised at the request of foreign partners. The project will be implemented with the participation of the government. "Our intention is to assist the government agencies," he said.

The association has recommended that the government should not concentrate on re-enforcing all buildings in the region, suggesting that strong community buildings should be constructed, which could accommodate many people in an emergency. They also recommended the use of special building technologies such as the use of re-enforced concrete, continuous concrete plinth beams and concrete frame structures for such buildings.

It has identified that the statutes governing the plan approving agencies are vague, granting overlapping powers. As a solution to this issue it has recommended a central authority to be brought into existence to direct the reconstruction operations by allocating the resources to the relevant sectors and areas.

Siriwardene said that the PIA and the Foundation for Development Corporation (FDC) of Australia would be providing the technical assistance. "They will volunteer to formulate the projects and include their input," he said. (DD)

The association says that 28 percent of the population or five million people live in the coastal regions of Sri Lanka. With some 90 percent of the fishing produce and 166 of the country's 240 tourist resorts also located in the coastal belt, the association has recognized it as a socio- economically significant area.

"We will be looking at starting detailed plans within two weeks to six months," said Siriwardane. He said that in the long term they will be developing the infrastructure and township building with 11 interchanges on the proposed southern highway. He said that they expect a population shift to the proposed new townships once they are built. (DD)

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