Challenges and Opportunities of Landslide Induced Resettlement

In the recent past landslide and subsidence events occurred in Rattota DS Division have caused severe damages to houses and other properties in Rattota DS Division in Matale District. The communities living in landslide prone areas in this division face much more risk of different types of landslide hazard. Accordingly, the government of Sri Lanka has initiated relocation programs at several locations of this division to ensure the safety life of the affected and people at risk. This study analyses the challenges and opportunities of resettlement programs takes place as post disaster and preventive resettlement. This study employs a multiple approach for data collection, comprising questionnaire survey, interviews, and observation. The results of this study emphasize that resettlement program has brought both negative and positive consequences and it shows inter and intra variation among the estate and rural communities. Problems associated with the selection of the site, selection of the beneficiaries, lack of basic facilities at resettlement sites, and unnecessary delays are identified as the major problems. Moreover, the collective resettlement program worsens the community integration because people from different places have also posted a challenge to adopt the new environment. In turn, some of the positive impacts were also identified from the resettlement program to certain communities, particularly, to estates by providing the housing facilities. Therefore, this study concludes that though resettlement shows diverse phenomenon both in the post and preventive stage, it should be advanced with essential facilities to safeguard the people from landslide hazards in one side to improve the overall development of the communities on another side.