COLOMBO: The Sri Lankan government continues to be divided on a proposal by Lakshmi Mittal’s company ArcelorMittal to build 65,000 prefabricated houses made of steel and PVC in the Northern and Eastern Provinces for the war-displaced families.

While Rehabilitation Minister D.M.Swaminathan, who mooted the project, is certain that it is on, the Minister for Child Affairs, Vijayakala Maheswaran, told parliament on Thursday, that it is not on, and that only brick houses will be built.

To allay the impression that the ArcelorMittal houses are unfit for habitation, the Ministry of Rehabilitation issued a statement on Friday saying that the houses have been found to be fit by the Department of Civil Engineering of the Engineering Faculty of Peradeniya University.

“The pre- fabricated houses are the best option to meet the high demand for housing in the war affected Northern and Eastern provinces,” the university’s study said.

It states that the measurement of temperature and humidity inside pre-fabricated metal houses and conventional block work houses showed no major difference. The cost of a pre-fabricated house along with other facilities on offer, such as solar power connection, toilet facilities, and furniture, will not be much more than the cost of a conventional house with the same facilities.

The assessment report further notes that pre-fabricated houses are more favourable when considering the cost of, and difficulty in, locally obtaining material and labour for conventional houses. Prefabricated houses can also be constructed quickly to meet the urgent housing need. The North and East of Lanka urgently require 127,000 houses in all. The prefab houses also make no demands on the environment, the study pointed out.

Addressing the issue of corrosion, Arcelor Mittal has stated that the steel panels use the latest patented metallic coated steel (ZM Evolution and Magnelis) which has enhanced anti corrosion properties. The company will install, in each room, passive ventilation below the roof, in order to enhance air flow. And considering local usages, it will consider putting up a concrete cooking bench outside the house, so that firewood can be used in cooking n addition to gas.