Family found living in treehouse due to lack of permanent home

By B.G. Chaturanga 

A family of four was reported living in a treehouse in the Mahawilachchiya Divisional Secretariat area of the Anuradhapura district, as they do not have a permanent home.

They said they were struggling against various odds to survive and that the threat of wild elephants was a serious danger to them.

The breadwinner of the family S.H. Susantha Kumara said his family did not have a fixed abode or a permanent income and that they were compelled to build a hut on a tree.

“This is an area facing the threat of wild elephants. I built this hut on the tree as the last resort. We have a small kitchen at the foot of the tree, and we climb down the hut only to prepare our meals. Marauding herds often roam into the village at dusk, and we prepare our meals early and enter the hut to spend the night. My eldest son is 18 years old, and the youngest is five years old. My daughter is eleven years old. I earn a pittance as a manual worker to maintain my family,” he said.

His wife said they had earlier lived in the Ratnapura area, and due to a dispute with relatives, they were compelled to shift. She said they were subject to discrimination from the people of this area. 

“A lady known to us got my elder son admitted to a technical institute about four days ago. My daughter is attending school. A gentleman of the area showed sympathy for us and allowed us to build a house on a block of land belonging to him. However, the villagers complained that it was within the tank reservation. However, the Mahawilachchiya Divisional Secretary intervened and granted us its legal possession. We laid the foundation to build a room on that land, but it has been stalled for lack of an income,” she said.

She further said that their only request was to build at least two rooms for them on their land.