Significance of critical infrastructure development in post-disaster resettlement in Sri Lanka

Abstract

Post-Disaster Resettlement (PDR) is one of the most important, time and cost-consuming disaster management activity following a catastrophic event. Restoration of human lifestyle while safeguarding the victims by providing permanent houses and integrating them with critical infrastructures are essential in the PDR context. The better accessibility to critical infrastructures enhances the living conditions of disaster-affected community and influences the success of PDR projects. However, the success of PDR projects in Sri Lanka, is not at a sufficient level due to lack of concentration provided on the critical infrastructure needs of the resettled community. Thus, the study is focused on emphasizing the significance of critical infrastructure to enhance the success of PDR projects in Sri Lanka. The need of developing critical infrastructure was broadly investigated through the literature review. Subsequently, survey and case study research strategies were adopted to proceed with the research following the qualitative research approach. Empirical evidence was gathered in two phases. Preliminary expert interviews under Phase I and key-informant interviews under Phase II (case studies) were used as the data collection methods. Interviews in both phases were conducted in a semi-structured format. The data analysis was carried out through manual content analysis. The outcomes of the study revealed that provision of both physical and social critical infrastructure have an equal importance for the physical function and mental well-being of the disaster-affected community, respectively. However, to achieve the success in PDR projects, critical infrastructure development must be carried out considering the factors such as proper site selection criteria, previous livelihood of the people and their requirements, resilient features, and threshold levels.