By The Pulseline News Desk
The Government is considering the construction of apartment complexes for plantation-sector communities in areas where housing development is restricted due to landslide risks, Prime Minister Harini Amarasuriya has told Parliament.
Responding to a question raised by MP Mano Ganesan, the Prime Minister has said the proposal was being considered as construction could not be carried out on certain hillside lands because of their vulnerability to landslides.
The move comes amid continuing concerns over housing conditions in the plantation sector, particularly in the country’s central hill country, where some communities live on steep and environmentally vulnerable terrain.
Amarasuriya indicated that apartment-style housing could provide an alternative where constructing individual houses on existing plantation lands is considered unsafe.
The proposal could also allow affected families to be accommodated in safer locations with access to basic infrastructure and essential services.
However, any such programme would require careful consideration of land availability, relocation arrangements, infrastructure and the social needs of plantation communities.
The Government’s approach highlights the challenge of improving housing conditions while ensuring that new construction does not expose residents to increased disaster risks.
With landslides remaining a recurring threat in Sri Lanka’s hill country, the proposed shift towards safer, higher-density housing could become part of a broader effort to address both the housing needs and long-term safety of plantation-sector communities.
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