Experiences of a relocated community in Colombo : case study of Sinhapura, Wanathamulla [Sinhalese version]

English version available in IDRC Digital Library : Experiences of a relocated community in Colombo : case study of Sinhapura, WanathamullaSinhapura is a housing complex in Wanathamulla built for the purpose of relocating individuals and families displaced due to developmental projects undertaken in Colombo. A majority of the relocatees are from ex-shanty or slum communities from Wanathamulla and Torrington. For those from Wanathamulla, relocation has been mostly a change of house because their original houses were only a few yards away from Sinhapura. For those from Torrington, relocation has been both a change of house as well as location. Therefore, adapting to Sinhapura has been a bigger challenge for the latter. The relocated families are largely happy about receiving a house in place of the temporary and often illegal houses in which they lived. However, they have many grievances related to the social environment of Sinhapura which is made unpleasant mostly by drug and alcohol abusers. These abusers are the ones usually accused of causing some of the day-to-day problems encountered by the residents, i.e. petty theft, noise, obscene language and frequent fighting. The community profile identifies the issue of a weak sense of belonging as the biggest challenge facing the community. The community is segmented on the lines of their previous place of residence and the social recognition attributed to each location, and the type and quality of previous housing. This weak sense of belonging makes them vulnerable to and ineffective in resolving the problems outlined above. The social networks that once existed when they were shanty dwellers seem largely shattered due to the individualized lifestyle introduced by condominium living, absence of common problems such as flooding which require mutual support to overcome, new common problems which cannot be overcome entirely through mutual support, absence of strong community leadership etc. As a result, the future development of Sinhapura into a cohesive group seems challenged