By Athula Senaratne and Kapila Premarathne
Never in the recent history has Sri Lanka
faced as many challenges due to disasters as the country did in the last
decade. It experienced major floods in May 2016, a prolonged drought in 2016-17
Maha season and once again flash floods this May. Before that, flash floods disrupted
the livelihoods of people in Anuradhapura in 2014. In 2013, fishermen lost lives
and assets due to torrential rains and stormy conditions. Major floods in 2011
affected nearly all the districts. In just over 12 years, the country faced
several other major disasters including, a tsunami, numerous landslides as well
as the collapse of the largest waste dump yard, all of which claimed many
lives, caused insurmountable damage to property and had long-lasting impacts on
the economy. For instance, the prolonged droughts in 2016 affected food
production and consumers were still experiencing higher retail prices in the
markets when they were hit by floods in Southern and Sabaragamuwa provinces.
Except for the 2004 tsunami and the Meethotamulla tragedy, which have
geological and anthropogenic origins, the majority of other hazard events are
climate driven. Consecutive climate-related disasters in recent years indicate the
urgent need for disaster resilient coping mechanisms.
