Govt. seeks assistance from development partners to rebuild after floods

• Special program called ‘Build Back Better’ to be launched
• Govt. requests assistance to be independent of yearly allocations for Sri Lanka
• Each development partner to take responsibility for separate sectors

By Chathuri Dissanayake

The Government yesterday met with representatives of all development partners of Sri Lanka to seek medium- and long-term assistance to carry out a comprehensive rebuilding program in the districts affected by recent floods and landslides.

Deputy Minister of National Policies and Economic Affairs Dr. Harsha de Silva and Minister of Development Assignments Tilak Marapana met with a host funding agencies and diplomats yesterday to request assistance for rebuilding activities.

“We have also requested them to treat this endeavour outside of their normal allocation of funds for Sri Lanka for this year and in the coming year,” Dr. De Silva said.

Dubbed ‘Build Back Better’, the program will devise a comprehensive rebuilding strategy to reconstruct all infrastructure damaged during the disaster using techniques that will help prevent such calamities in the future, Dr. De Silva said.

“It is not just rebuilding. We plan to rebuild to ensure that infrastructure is disaster-resistant. We may even look at relocation in some instances,” he said.

The development partners have largely agreed to take responsibility for different sectors of rebuilding, as the damage incurred is spread over a variety of sectors including health, education and housing, said Minister Marapana, who was also at the meeting. The reconstruction program is to be coordinated through the Prime Minister’s office, Dr. De Silva said.

“After the final assessment is done we will ‘projectise’ the work that’s needed to be done and ask for assistance from our development partners.”

The Government is scheduled to complete the damage assessment of the 14 districts by 15 May.  

A number of countries and organisations have already committed to assist Sri Lanka to rebuild in flood-affected areas.