| Floods in Sri Lanka 2017 |
Sri Lanka became a victim of devastating natural disasters during recent past making a dramatic impact on mankind and living hood on Sri Lankan soil. Recent chain of natural disasters occurred in the month of May 2017 resulted from heavy southwest monsoon was worsened by arriving of Cyclone Mora, causing number of floods and landslides throughout Sri Lanka. The flood affected almost fifteen districts displacing around six hundred thousand people. Nearly two hundred and fifty people were killed and hundred and thirty people were missing due to the flood. The series of hazards hit its peak with landslide at Meethotamulla garbage dump in 14th of April 2017, taking its toll on 26 lives and left over 1,500 homeless and displaced people. Sri Lanka was alerted as a Disaster porn country with Tsunami hit in 2014 loosing thousands of mankind and taking a massive impact on the country’s profile and Sri Lanka barely could stand up from junks of deadliest waves, turning country’s disaster management approaches in to a new way. Since there, several steps were taken to frame a sustainable mechanism to response disasters but, effectiveness of such efforts are still arguable.
Again, heading back in to the recent series of floods and landslides, it wasn’t the first time that Sri Lanka hit with such a tragic weather misfortune. It was like a pattern which is taking place continuously in every year and has become a routine matter in present context. The flood occurred in the mid of 2016 also ended up with similar results affecting over four hundred thousand people. However, with extensive experience Sri Lanka having in dealing with emergencies, responses were swift.
During the flood, Government forces including Police played a huge role in disaster relief and humanitarian aiding incorporated with the Ministry of Disaster Management and number of other governmental and non-governmental agencies. disaster relief and humanitarian aids were able to patch the prevailing short-run necessities but, could not sustain on long-run execution. Nearly 70,000 people were severely affected, 465,000 people were moderately affected, 595,000 people were indirectly affected and 20,792 houses were impacted due to flood. Mixed food need was raised at 3,600 Metric Tons for three months and drinking water requirement was at 1,456,600 Liters for a week (DMC, 2017). Sanitary and other essential needs also were raised proportionally and victims were accommodated at number of safety shelters. Simultaneously, collapse of garbage dump nearly buried 150 houses. Again, thousands of government troops were deployed on rescuing affected. Government was rush to provide devastated areas with essential needs. Meantime, number of international bodies and non-governmental organizations were hand-in-hand with relief operation in different levels. 16 countries had rushed relief supplies and medicines and had funded with US $ 5500000 to aid affected (Aljazeera, 2017).
Talking to the point, the initial responses taken by local authorities were at an immature level. all the time, relief operations were poured with enormous resources in various aspects and even the manpower but, poor management caused dragging of relief operations unnecessarily making the situation much worst. Medium and localized small-scale disasters cumulatively resulted in sizable loss of lives and economic assets but, still the responsible authorities are failed in taking necessary precautions and proactive mechanism to control and respond such disasters. The Ministry of Disaster Management is the key body to control and respond disasters through their number of regional disaster management centers. Theoretically, Armed forces, Police and other governmental, non-governmental and international disaster relief agencies should be managed through a systematic process in dealing with managing disasters, and DMC and Ministry of Disaster Management should be the leading body which rules and manages all other agencies meeting expected outcomes yet, it’s doubtable.
The Disaster Management Center (DMC) was established in Sri Lanka under the Disaster Management Act No 13 of 2005 (Gazette, 2005), for the purpose of assuring national-level safety, through a systematic management of natural, technological, and man-made disasters. As per the projected Disaster Management Plan for 2013-2017 by DMC, their aim is to Reduced disaster impact on communities, infrastructure, lifeline facilities, shelter, agricultural property, economic and development activities in Sri Lanka and their objective is to Establishment of mechanisms/systems for Disaster Risk Management in Sri Lanka as a multi-sectoral, inter-ministerial, and inter-agency activity, by identifying and assessing the capacities of existing agencies for improving their capacities and mandates as necessary to implement the identified tasks, using methodologies and concepts already developed and field tested. Yet, the DMC has consistently failed to inform vulnerable communities about the potential dangers postured by such disasters early. Lack of prior planning and communication has been the main cause for the failure to avoid overwhelming effects of natural disasters and creating a huge doubt on the disaster relief response capacity of Sri Lanka (Satharasinghe, 2017).
According to my preview, disaster response capacity is consisting with two main sectors with four governing factors in each and it has shown on the diagram below
Again, heading back in to the recent series of floods and landslides, it wasn’t the first time that Sri Lanka hit with such a tragic weather misfortune. It was like a pattern which is taking place continuously in every year and has become a routine matter in present context. The flood occurred in the mid of 2016 also ended up with similar results affecting over four hundred thousand people. However, with extensive experience Sri Lanka having in dealing with emergencies, responses were swift.
During the flood, Government forces including Police played a huge role in disaster relief and humanitarian aiding incorporated with the Ministry of Disaster Management and number of other governmental and non-governmental agencies. disaster relief and humanitarian aids were able to patch the prevailing short-run necessities but, could not sustain on long-run execution. Nearly 70,000 people were severely affected, 465,000 people were moderately affected, 595,000 people were indirectly affected and 20,792 houses were impacted due to flood. Mixed food need was raised at 3,600 Metric Tons for three months and drinking water requirement was at 1,456,600 Liters for a week (DMC, 2017). Sanitary and other essential needs also were raised proportionally and victims were accommodated at number of safety shelters. Simultaneously, collapse of garbage dump nearly buried 150 houses. Again, thousands of government troops were deployed on rescuing affected. Government was rush to provide devastated areas with essential needs. Meantime, number of international bodies and non-governmental organizations were hand-in-hand with relief operation in different levels. 16 countries had rushed relief supplies and medicines and had funded with US $ 5500000 to aid affected (Aljazeera, 2017).
Talking to the point, the initial responses taken by local authorities were at an immature level. all the time, relief operations were poured with enormous resources in various aspects and even the manpower but, poor management caused dragging of relief operations unnecessarily making the situation much worst. Medium and localized small-scale disasters cumulatively resulted in sizable loss of lives and economic assets but, still the responsible authorities are failed in taking necessary precautions and proactive mechanism to control and respond such disasters. The Ministry of Disaster Management is the key body to control and respond disasters through their number of regional disaster management centers. Theoretically, Armed forces, Police and other governmental, non-governmental and international disaster relief agencies should be managed through a systematic process in dealing with managing disasters, and DMC and Ministry of Disaster Management should be the leading body which rules and manages all other agencies meeting expected outcomes yet, it’s doubtable.
The Disaster Management Center (DMC) was established in Sri Lanka under the Disaster Management Act No 13 of 2005 (Gazette, 2005), for the purpose of assuring national-level safety, through a systematic management of natural, technological, and man-made disasters. As per the projected Disaster Management Plan for 2013-2017 by DMC, their aim is to Reduced disaster impact on communities, infrastructure, lifeline facilities, shelter, agricultural property, economic and development activities in Sri Lanka and their objective is to Establishment of mechanisms/systems for Disaster Risk Management in Sri Lanka as a multi-sectoral, inter-ministerial, and inter-agency activity, by identifying and assessing the capacities of existing agencies for improving their capacities and mandates as necessary to implement the identified tasks, using methodologies and concepts already developed and field tested. Yet, the DMC has consistently failed to inform vulnerable communities about the potential dangers postured by such disasters early. Lack of prior planning and communication has been the main cause for the failure to avoid overwhelming effects of natural disasters and creating a huge doubt on the disaster relief response capacity of Sri Lanka (Satharasinghe, 2017).
According to my preview, disaster response capacity is consisting with two main sectors with four governing factors in each and it has shown on the diagram below
