Construction of 14,000 tsunami houses completed

COLOMBO: The National Housing Development Authority (NHDA) was able to provide the necessary technical assistance for the construction of more than 50 per cent of the houses of the tsunami victims in the Ampara, Batticaloa, Matara and Trincomalee districts whose houses were badly damaged, states a NHDA press release.

As per the Department of Census and Statistics of Sri Lanka, 44,032 houses were damaged in the above four districts which were devastated by the tsunami. Out of the total number of the houses damaged, 21,480 houses will be constructed at a cost of Rs. 957 million with the assistance of German Technical Co-operation (GTZ), Japan International Co-operation Agency (JICA), Swedish Agency for the Development and Co-operation (SDC), Padova Urban Council of Italy, Japan Friendship Village Programme (JFV), KFW Bank of Germany, GOAL and Community Development Programme of North East (NECORD).

Construction work of nearly 17,000 houses out of 21,480 commenced with the technical assistance of the NHDA and more than 14,000 houses were completed up to 30th June 2006.

Based on the experience, the NHDA has taken measures to provide technical assistance to housing development programmes in these districts as well as other districts affected by the tsunami.