The Hon. Arkam Ilyas

¶ 01 Hon. Deputy Chairperson of Committees, today we are establishing by law an Institute to regularize processes for disaster response and prevention, guidance on construction, and geotechnical/environmental recommendations. Though the NBRO was set up in 1984—41 years ago—it has operated without an establishing Act, which we consider a major shortcoming. Around 150 professionals—engineers, geologists, architects, and town and country planners—serve within a total staff of about 350. This Institute, which advises on the protection of lives, property, and the economy, deserves a proper legal framework.

¶ 02 The Institute provides a wide range of services. I wish to highlight three: - Research, surveys and promotion of work related to landslide-prone areas. - Technical support for projects and buildings in areas with landslide risk or geotechnical instability, including condition assessments of existing buildings and impact reports on adjacent constructions. - These tasks carried out by the NBRO will henceforth be the statutory duty of the NBRI.

¶ 03 Sri Lanka has extensive hilly terrain with landslide risk—about 30 percent of land area—with 14 districts exposed. In the last year alone, 1,252 landslides were reported in 13 districts, affecting 1,602 buildings fully, partially, or slightly. In 2024, six lives were lost due to landslides—in Matara (two) and in Badulla, Kandy, Kegalle, and Ratnapura. Over the past decade or more, landslides have claimed many lives: in 2016, Aranayake lost 127 lives and around 750 houses were destroyed; in 2014, the Koslanda estate slide in Badulla claimed about 200 lives and destroyed around 150 houses. This Act will empower the Institute to intervene and grant or withhold approvals for projects in high-risk zones.

¶ 04 Some Members queried what we expect from this law. NBRO has already mapped risk areas, but those maps need to be formally transmitted to provincial and local authorities. When approvals are sought for projects or buildings in high-risk areas, NBRO concurrence should be legally required. This will also allow restrictions on construction in such locations and reduce the scale of future disasters.

¶ 05 Another serious issue is the proliferation of high-rise buildings in Colombo and suburbs over past decades, including builds on geologically unstable soils. Some structures have faced settlement, cracking, and even collapses—notably a building collapse in Wellawatte and a house collapse in Kandy with fatalities. This law provides a regulatory framework to prevent such incidents.

¶ 06 Multiple private entities issue geotechnical reports; their quality varies in a competitive market. The Act enables regulation of such entities, the setting of standards, and enforcement—leading to compliant, safe construction.

¶ 07 A further important function is providing condition reports for buildings and assessing damage or impact from nearby construction, enabling aggrieved parties to obtain proper redress. The Act gives a legal footing for these roles and helps resolve related disputes.