Adaptation to disaster : housing in flood prone areas with special reference to the colombo district

Abstract

Water is a precious commodity and considered a source of life. This life giving water appears as a common thread woven through the religion, literature and art of every culture. Architectural compositions too, are greatly enhanced by the use of water. Moreover, many of the worlds earliest civilization's originated in areas where water was readily available, such as in the Nile Delta and the Indus valley. Even in Sri Lanka, early human settlements were founded near sources of water such as the Malwatu Oya. Despite water's role as a common denominator for life, it also brings death and disaster with it when it floods, showing that too much water is as bad as too little. Flooding causes extensive damage to people and property and can be considered as the most widespread natural disaster which occurs in Sri Lanka. Flooding is common in many areas of the country and the district of Colombo also has this particular problem. However, one may be tempted to ask "Are there really floods in Colombo?" The answer is a definite "yes". One may not hear of great catastrophes related to floods within the Colombo district, but it nevertheless causes much damage to property and imposes hardships on the people when parts of the city and surrounding areas get flooded after intense rainfalls of even short duration. Therefore, it is imperative that mitigatory measures be taken in order to minimise the damaging effects of floods. In this regard, Architectural solutions for housing and building and proper planning procedures incorporating regulatory controls will ensure that people will have the opportunity of coping with and adapting to floods without incurring loss or damage.