ABSTRACT

This chapter shows that communities resettled under the slogan of “building back better” or “disaster risk reduction” in most cases are suffering from the same negative consequences as people resettled within the framework of development-induced displacement. In Sri Lanka, the government’s emphasis on resettlement following the tsunami has been strongly criticized by the media, civil society organizations, opposition parties, and several national and international nongovernmental organization. Apart from having both been affected by the tsunami, Hambantota and Ampara show many differences. The Hambantota district is located in Sri Lanka’s southern province and has an area of 2,609 km. In Ampara, the shortage of adequate sites for relocation ultimately led the government to promote the construction of multistory apartment buildings. The chapter suggests that even in a disaster context in which aid for reconstruction exceeds the needs, as was the case after the Indian Ocean tsunami of 2004, relocation remains a challenging and controversial disaster risk-reduction strategy.