Following the catastrophic disaster reported last week of a building in Kandy collapsing, concerns were raised over all illegal and hazardous constructions mushrooming in landslide-prone areas, especially in the Central Province. This issue was aggravated over the last few years as a result of the sudden influx of tourists which has led to increased commercialisation, resulting in a majority of the existing properties being converted into hotels, restaurants, guest houses, or homestays. As reported by The Sunday Morning, the majority of these commercial properties are not registered with the Sri Lanka Tourism Development Authority (SLTDA); Ella, especially, houses around 700 such unregistered properties that have been operational for several years. Following the incident, several state institutions including the Kandy Municipal Council (KMC) and the National Building Research Organisation (NBRO) are now conducting surveys to identify illegal constructions in the Central Province. The recent incident exposed many loopholes in the construction approval system of the local government institution as well as the practical difficulties of monitoring whether the approved plan was constructed or not. NBRO Human Settlements Planning and Training Division Director Kishan Sugathapala told The Sunday Morning that the NBRO had already identified areas with a high risk of landslides in the Central Province. “We are preparing a proposal. First, we are trying to identify public buildings. We’ll start with tuition classes. Then, we will check other public buildings. Then, to the public buildings that include the hotels. It’s a very costly exercise,” he stressed. Explaining further, Sugathapala stressed that prior to starting on any construction, the necessary approvals have to be taken, but it was difficult to examine the constructions that were already built. “The Kandy incident was solely due to structural failure and it has nothing to do with landslides,” he said. “Any type of construction in a landslide-prone area needs to be approved by either the UDA (Urban Development Authority) or the Ella Pradeshiya Sabha, and when those two authorities seek to provide approval, they require the approval of the NBRO,” Sugathapala stressed. Meanwhile, another report was requested by the Central Province Governor this week following the deadly disaster that occurred last Sunday (20) morning where a five-storey building collapsed onto another building in the Buwelikada area in Kandy. “I’ve instructed the relevant officials to inspect the condition of all the buildings in the city and to submit a report,” Central Province Governor Lalith U. Gamage said. He told the media that there were incidents where the owners carried out construction without following the proper plans that were approved by the Municipal Council. The buildings in these landslide-prone areas, especially in Kandy, should be constructed as per the architectural designs that are made to suit such areas, he stressed, adding that heavy buildings don’t suit the area and therefore, steps should be taken to change the types of designs in future constructions. “These people have to live in this area and they have nowhere else to go and therefore, similarly to Japan, a suitable structural method should be applied,” he said. The Governor also stressed the need to take legal action against illegal constructions within the Kandy municipality. “There is a legal officer at the KMC and it’s one of their tasks to take legal action against illegal constructions,” he added. According to him, the committee appointed to look into the incident is currently conducting the investigation. The NBRO said the construction of a building on top of a loose or soft soil layer was the cause for last Sunday’s tragedy in Buwelikda, Kandy. After investigating the incident, an NBRO officer said the soil layer was unable to bear the weight of the five-storey building, which eventually resulted in the collapse during the early hours of Sunday. It is also said the building was built blocking a valley path. According to NBRO Emergency in Landslide Risk Contact Person R.M.S. Bandara, the construction of the property in question began around 2010 and gradually developed to its state prior to its collapse. NBRO officials are currently investigating the incident to identify the reason for the collapse. Questions were also raised over the construction of a number of hotels in Ella which developed as a tourist destination in recent years. As seen by any visitor travelling to Ella, a number of hotels are still being constructed on sloping hills. As alleged by many experts, a number of these constructions are being built without proper approvals from the relevant authorities. As a result, myriad questions arose over the safety of these hotels and the travellers who stayed in these hotels. Ella Hotel Association (EHA) President Malith De Silva told The Sunday Morning that only around 20 hotels were operational in Ella several years ago before it was transformed into a more prominent tourist destination. “But with the increase of tourist arrivals to the area, the number of hotels also increased gradually. Now there are around 829 hotels operating in Ella,” he said, adding: “Out of those hotels, only about 100 hotels are registered with the SLTDA and operate with a proper license.” The number of hotels operating in Ella rapidly increased over a short period of time and most of these hotels were constructed without obtaining the necessary approvals from government authorities, he said. The association urged the Ministry of Tourism, SLTDA, and recently the UDA to control and regularise constructions in the area. According to the association, there should be a proper mechanism to monitor the construction of these hotels, as it could pose a huge environmental threat to the area if not properly regulated. The association has also requested the Government to limit the number of rooms in these hotels to about 20. “Additionally, there should be a limitation on the number of floors that could be built and a complete prohibition on the construction of high rises in the area,” De Silva stated. Ella Pradeshiya Sabha Janatha Vimukthi Peramuna (JVP) member Pubudu Gimhana alleged that the Pradeshiya Sabha was turning a blind eye to illegal constructions in the area, while some constructors didn’t care about the rules and regulations enforced by the Pradeshiya Sabha. There were also incidents where approvals had been granted due to political influence, he stressed. The Ella Pradeshiya Sabha had not done anything for the development of Ella over the past few years, he further alleged. “Ella should be preserved as a destination while managing sustainable tourism. The damage caused to the environment by constructing illegal buildings in Ella can’t be rectified,” Gimhana said. He urged the Government to pay more attention to the area’s development and control irregular tourism and overexploitation immediately.