Conflict Prevention through Post Conflict Housing Reconstruction: Good Practices and Lessons Learned

The concept of ‘DRR’ within natural and technological disasters context conform to the concept of ‘conflict prevention and peace building’ within conflicts or wars context. Similar to DRR measures within disaster context, it is important to study conflict prevention measures within conflicts or wars. This paper presents such measures within post conflict housing reconstruction. Literature identifies a number of implications of post conflict housing reconstruction contributes on development and peace building including economic development and poverty alleviation, gender equity and empowerment, integrating displaced communities, restoring security, trust and faith in future and legitimacy. An empirical study conducted in post conflict Sri Lanka identified the good practices and lessons learned in preventing conflicts and building peace within post conflict housing reconstruction. Study involved 37 in-depth interviews with policy makers, practitioners, beneficiaries and academics. The approach to reconstruction of housing in the original places over relocation and traditional construction over pre-fabricated housing enhanced beneficiary satisfaction and occupancy. Low income and vulnerable people were prioritised in accessing housing assistance while beneficiaries’ livelihoods were enhanced though livelihood support packages and construction craftsmen training. These as well as the involvement of local labour and material developed the local economy. Furthermore, local construction materials and local labour involvement in housing reconstruction enhanced the community linkages. Participatory approach to construction promoted a sense of ownership towards housing while reducing the cost of construction. Nevertheless, low income families faced with difficulties in completing the construction, which hindered privacy and security. Also, female head households faced difficulties in contributing unskilled labour and constructing a habitable house with the grant provided. Therefore, suggestions were made to tailor the financial grant based on the special requirements of vulnerable families such as female head households

Managing housing needs of post conflict housing reconstruction:Sri Lankan perspective

Purpose – Post conflict housing reconstruction is crucial to development and peacekeeping. However, the success of it, is hindered by a number of problems related to a lack of addressing housing needs. The purpose of this paper is to explore how such housing needs can be effectively managed in post conflict housing reconstruction in Sri Lanka. Design/methodology/approach – Using the grounded theory method as the research strategy, unstructured interviews were conducted with policy makers, practitioners, beneficiaries and academics in Sri Lanka. Data were analysed using open, axial and selective coding to develop the theoretical framework. Findings – The study reveals the challenges, contributing factors and strategies in addressing housing needs of accessibility, habitability, affordability, location, facilities, cultural considerations and security of land tenure. It also identifies the gaps and recommendations. The paper establishes the links between these and presents a theoretical framework formanaging housing needs effectively in post conflict housing reconstruction in Sri Lanka. Practical implications – This research enhances the success of post conflict housing reconstruction through addressing housing needs effectively, which contributes to sustainable housing development after conflicts. Originality/value – The study combines the literature from five main areas: conflicts, post conflict, post conflict reconstruction, post conflict housing reconstruction and housing needs and provides a better understanding on how the housing needs can be managed during post conflict housing reconstruction in developing countries based on empirical evidence. Keywords- Housing, Customer satisfaction, Supervision, Construction management, Procurement, Conflict resolution Paper type- Research pape

Impact of design changes on contractors' cash flow

Several factors affect the cash flow profile of contractors. Among these design changes play a vital role. This research explores the impact of design changes on contractors’ cash flow. Twenty completed building projects were selected for the analysis. It was found that design changes have a significant contribution amounting to 50% of the total cost overruns. Most of the cost overruns took place during 75% to 100% stages of the projects. Further, the results show that the impact of design changes to the contractors’ cash flow was significant for M3 grade contractors than M1 and M2. When design changes occur, contractors have to search for additional interim finance than planned, often at a higher cost, which reduces their profit margin. Therefore, contractors need to consider the requirement for additional finance that may become a necessity during the execution of a project and incorporate necessary provisions when preparing a cash flow forecast

Inspiring Sri‐LankAn reNewal and Development – Phase II (ISLAND – II)

Frequency and extent of natural disasters are increasing on a global scale. Natural disasters claim many human lives and damage a great deal of property. The urgent need to reduce disaster risk and develop a resilient community capable of recovering from disasters is of increasing concern in many countries. Knowledge management can play a vital role through ensuring the availability and accessibility of accurate and reliable disaster risk information when required and through effective lesson learning. ‘ISLAND-II’ (Inspiring Sri- LankAn reNewal and Development – Phase II) research project set out to identify key disaster knowledge factors pertaining to disaster management and incorporate appropriate knowledge and good practices relating to different types of disasters. The research was conducted according to four Work Packages (WPs): WP1- Test the Effectiveness of the Existing Knowledge Base; WP2- Identification of Key Knowledge Variables within the Disaster Management Cycle; WP3- Population and Expansion of Knowledge Base with more Case Studies; and WP4- Disseminate Research and Identify Future Research Directions. A review of existing literature, expert interviews and focus group discussions were used to deliver research outputs

Contractor Capacity and Waste Generation: An Empirical Investigation

This paper aims to test the hypothesis that an inverse relationship exists between the capacity of a contractor and the amount of waste generated in a construction site. In Sri Lanka, contractors are graded by an independent government agency and this study uses 15 projects undertaken by grade M1 to M5 contractors. M1 contractors constitute the highest grade and they have higher technical, financial and managerial capabilities. These projects are examined to determine cement wastages and link them to these respective grades to clarify their relationship. The major finding is that upper grade contractors, who are more capable, generate less waste compared to their lower grade counterparts. This suggests that contractor capacity not only has desirable outcomes for better time, cost and quality objectives but also benefits the environmental objectives of their clients. While the present grading system in Sri Lanka does not consider waste management, it is suggested that the waste management practices of contractors could vary immensely from the M1 grade to the lower grades. Consequently, future revisions in the grading system should seriously consider incorporating waste management practices to provide an incentive to contractors who appropriately manage their waste. In theory, this will encourage efficient waste reduction practices in construction sites

Managing housing needs in post conflict housing reconstruction in Sri Lanka: gaps versus recommendations

Addressing housing needs in post conflict housing reconstruction leads to successful housing reconstruction. As part of a study of investigating how the housing needs can be effectively addressed in post conflict housing reconstruction, this paper identifies the gaps in managing housing needs in post conflict housing reconstruction within the context of Sri Lanka and presents the recommendations to minimise such gaps. Data was collected through un-structured interviews conducted with 37 participants, comprising policy makers, practitioners, academics and beneficiaries who engaged in post conflict housing reconstruction in Sri Lanka. Gaps were mainly found in conflict sensitivity, measures related to physical housing, performance of implementing agencies, policy and practice issues. On the job training, application of ‘do no harm’ principles, enhanced beneficiary participation, enhanced accountability, effective monitoring, enhanced knowledge sharing, adequate drinking water facilities, irrigation development and initiatives for material manufacturing were suggested as recommendations to minimise these gaps. Identification of gaps in managing housing needs in post conflict housing reconstruction and recommendations to minimise them inform policy makers to address the housing needs effectively through incorporating these aspects into the related policies. This in turn enhances the sustainability in housing development after conflicts

Capacity of the construction industry for post-disaster reconstruction:post-tsunami Sri Lanka

The chapter commences with an introduction to the impact of tsunamis in terms of physical, socio-economic, human and environmental aspects. It then provides an introduction to the concept of disaster risk management followed by a discussion on the role of the construction sector in post-disaster recovery. The next section focuses particularly on the role of the construction industry in post-tsunami Sri Lanka. A comprehensive analysis is then provided on the capacity of the construction industry in post-tsunami reconstruction, in which the emphasis is on addressing the capacity gaps and strategies to minimise them

Strengthening post disaster reconstruction through capacity building: a literature review

Disasters cause substantial damage around the world every year. While there are usually preventive measures that can be implemented to mitigate loss of life, it is often not economical to avoid damages to infrastructure and building or to insure entirely against loss of life through disasters. Thus the recovery from disasters is a challenge and the demand for effective post disaster response will accordingly increase. It is vitally important to look in to reconstruction phase so as to improve the effectiveness and efficiency of response. In this context, capacity building aims to increase an organization’s access to information and technical know-how by improving internal management structures, processes and procedures as well as strengthening partnerships among various players in the development process and it has been identified that there is a need to generate a focus on capacity building in disaster management. In this context, the objective of this paper is to discuss and explore the problems associated with post disaster reconstruction and to explore how to enhance the capacity of organizations and people concerned so as to strengthen the reconstruction process. The research methodology includes a comprehensive literature review on post disaster reconstruction and capacity building

Disputes in time bar provisions for contractors' claims in standard form of contracts

The time bar clause facilitates informing the Engineer (Contract Administrator) in a timely manner of the occurrence of events that may result in delayed completion and/or incur additional costs. Such notices allow parties to mitigate any potential impacts in terms of time and/or cost. Nevertheless, the time bar clause forfeits a contractor’s claim, if the notice of claim is not submitted within the stipulated time in the contract, giving rise to numerous disputes. The purpose of this study is to identify the disputes surrounding the time bar clause in the FIDIC 1999 Red Book, which is an internationally used Standard Form of Contract (SFoC) for building and engineering works designed by the employer. After identifying the sources of disputes and modifications to the standard provisions via a comprehensive literature review, the researchers conducted an online questionnaire survey with 61 construction contract professionals (employers, contract consultants and contractors) and semi-structured interviews with four contract specialists to determine the level of agreement with the identified sources of disputes and modifications to standard provisions. Sources of disputes and modifications were ranked based on the Relative Agreement Index (RAI) from the survey. Interviews were qualitatively analyzed to identify agreement/disagreement and the reasons for the agreement/disagreement