Towards eliminating slums from Metro Colombo, the Government of Sri Lanka has started an initiative of physical and economic regeneration. The Metro Colombo Urban Development Project (MCUDP), with a focus on flood and drainage management, is expected to have a significant impact on poverty alleviation in the City of Colombo since a significant number of low-income households live in low-lying flood prone areas.

UN-Habitat is partnering with the World Bank, the lead agency which assists the government to support the regeneration programme for Metro Colombo with a combination of programmatic technical assistance and fast track operations based on the readiness of investments.

A livelihoods assessment survey of low income communities located in flood prone areas is been implemented by UN-Habitat with the objective of understanding critical knowledge gaps with respect to the geography and typologies of flood-prone low-income settlements, the livelihood conditions of these communities and their specific vulnerabilities. The results of the Assessment Survey will help enhance project design, project implementation and poverty reduction impact of the World Bank supported operations under the Metro Colombo Urban Regeneration Programme and facilitate urban policy initiatives.

UN-Habitat will partner with SEVANATHA Urban Resource Center, and the Centre for Poverty Analysis (CEPA) for the survey implementation.