RELOCATION HOUSING SCHEMES AS A POST-DISASTER RECONSTRUCTION INTERVENTION AND ITS IMPACTS ON COMMUNITY COHESION: A SOCIOLOGICAL STUDY ON THE SELECTED RELOCATED COMMUNITIES IN EASTERN SRI LANKA

Abstract

When people are displaced due to disasters, there are two strategies to deal with displaced people of disaster affected communities; resettlement and relocation. Resettlement has less difficulties in refurbishing the social fabric of the affected community members as the returnees resume their way of life in their familiar physical and social environments. This study is concerned with recovery interventions related to the relocation process and its impacts on refurbishing community cohesion and related social issues in the relocated communities. This study examines whether disaster-stricken communities' reconstruction efforts addressed members' needs and impacted conflict situations in the affected regions. The study's overall objective is to evaluate the impacts of reconstruction projects on community cohesion and community formation in selected relocated communities. The study is based on the descriptive qualitative method. Key Informant interviews, personal interviews, and focus group discussions were used to collect primary data collection. The study found that to newly develop their community structure and refurbish the social fabric in relocated areas, people's physical and socio-economic needs have to be satisfied; therefore, reconstruction interventions in post-disaster recovery processes should accommodate the needs of the target communities. People’s consultation is thus essentially required in planning reconstruction works. Partiality in beneficiary selection, ownership issues, and issues in boundary demarcation cause inter-household disputes. When a community is heterogonous on a caste or communal basis, such issues lead to severe and enduring social cleavages. When prejudiced political interests and the interests of community members affiliated with this type of politics are incorporated into reconstruction efforts, reconstruction interventions become a factor in worsening or causing new social conflict.