Thursday Sep 19, 2024
Thursday Sep 19, 2024
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Ratnapura, Kalutara, Galle, Batticaloa, Polonnaruwa and Kegalle Districts are the most affected by floods
The UN is of the view that each individual in a society has an important role to play in disaster reduction and mitigation process. The declaration of IDDR emphasises formation of disaster resilient nations making all members in a society responsible for disaster prevention, mitigation and recovery. 
In this regard, the United Nations Office for Disaster Reduction (UNIDR) started a “step up program” from year 2011 focusing different categories of stake holders in a country and identifying their role in this important endeavour. Findings and recommendations of step up initiative will lead to the conference on disaster risk reduction in 2015.
The theme of this year is inclusion of ageing community members in disaster mitigation process. The conventional wisdom of elderly people on disasters is useful for mitigating the impact of disasters and in preparing a practical disaster management plan.
Natural disasters are experienced by people in the world since ancient times. During Lord Buddha’s period there were three fold disasters come up together at the same point of time; Famine, spread of epidemics and fear of spirits of dead in the city of Visalaa. During the Buddha’s time there are stories about events of floods and droughts in India.
We have heard of a tsunami attack during king Kelanitissa’s period in ancient Sri Lanka. Since our ancestors, however, highly believed the sacredness of nature and treated it respectfully, occurrence of dreadful disasters by nature had been a rare incident. Man made calamities were not even known and heard during early days.
Why a Disaster Reduction Day?
Today, disasters have become regular phenomena bringing devastative effects on population, infrastructure and environment everywhere in the world. The number and frequencies occurring disasters are on the rise and the gravity of damages caused to communities and properties has become extremely heavy. 
It is stated that about 400 disasters are taking place annually. Countries have attached greater importance to the subject of disaster management and mitigation. Considering the detrimental consequences that such disasters create over the global communities, critical infrastructure and ecological system, the International day on disaster reduction has been declared by UN.
The term disaster means a sudden unexpected calamitous event creating huge damage and destruction to lives, public/private properties and environment. There are two major causes leading to create disasters. Calamities take place due to influence of natural process in the earth is the first category. Earthquakes, landslides, floods, hurricanes, droughts, tsunamis and eruption of volcanoes fall into this category.
Natural calamities
Among natural calamities, earthquakes are dreadful in terms of mass destruction they create. Violent shaking of earth surface due to deep underground movement are experienced by Japan, Indonesia and Philippines which are located in the fault line where continental and oceanic plates are met. There are quite a large number of underground actions taking place on this fault line. As a result, 90% of world’s earthquakes strike in countries located in this area.
Eruption of volcanoes is another detrimental catastrophe in the world. During activation of volcanoes, boiling lava, toxic gases and ashes are coming out of the deep inside of the earth as sudden explosions. Destructive impact causing to countries like Iceland, Japan, Indonesia and so on during eruptions is unimaginable.
Floods and landslides are other forms of natural disasters that take place during heavy rains. Countries located in river deltas go under water inundating large number of habitats in river deltas. When soils are unable to absorb the large quantities of water pouring down during torrential rains, rocks and soils in massive quantities suddenly move down along the mountain slopes during rainy season. These landslides bring fatalities, enormous hardships and agonies for communities live in the bottom of hilly areas. 
There are various seismic movements in the sea due to which ocean waves are rising several meters high and smashing into the shore violently. The waves even travel few kilometres inland causing tsunami situation in coastal areas. Another natural catastrophe is tropical storms blowing across countries with strong whirling winds. Cyclones are common in many countries but, more than 70% of tropical storms occur in the Northern part of the world. Prolonged droughts result in killing animals, destroying crops and creating situations of famines is another catastrophe.
Manmade disasters
Disasters are also resultant from human activities, some of which are intentional and some disasters are accidental. Nuclear testing, war activities between countries and terrorism are intentional man made destructions. Weapon testing is a well-planned activity carried out by powerful nations endangering the poor communities live in close proximity to testing sites.
Wars between nations and terrorist activities prevailing in countries today killing thousands of innocent people, destroying public and private properties are other deliberate disastrous actions. Human trafficking and drug business are the other two kinds of intentional disasters leading to suffering of children, women and youth as well.
Similarly, some disasters are occurred due to negligence, errors and failures of manmade systems such as oil spillage, leakage of toxic gases, explosion and fire, railway, highway and aviation accidents.
Disasters in Sri Lanka
The tendency of increasing disastrous incidents appearing in the world is common in Sri Lanka as well. Over the last several decades disastrous incidents have increased at an alarming rate. We are struggling with both types of disasters, natural and manmade.
Severe floods, landslides, cyclones, lightening, droughts and animal attacks are prominent natural disasters in the island. Twice a year some districts are affected with severe flood during monsoon rains. Loss of lives is comparatively less during floods but damages to properties and crops are critical and affect people’s lives tremendously.
Ratnapura, Kalutara, Galle, Batticaloa, Polonnaruwa and Kegalle Districts are the most affected by floods. During the floods that occurred in June 2014, the number of people affected was reported as 104,476. Incidents of landslides and lightning are another two types of disasters occurring with the rain.
The Ministry of Disaster Management has conducted a study on natural disasters during 34 year period from 1974 to 2008. The findings of this study state that the average number of landslides occurring in a year had been 50 up to year 2002. There is a sudden increase in landslides to a range of 200 to 375 landslides per year from 2002 onwards. Heavy rain, improper land use patterns and deep underground actions seem to be the key causes for increasing the number and intensity of landslides. Badulla, Ratnapura, Nuwara Eliya and Kegalle Districts have a high number of landslides.
Lightning during the rainy season is also showing an increasing trend causing damages to household properties. Although, a substantial amount of rain is received by Sri Lanka annually, its location close to Equator influences to create prolonged droughts in certain years. Many districts in the dry zone periodically suffer from droughts. Crop damages and severe scarcity of water affect both people and animals.
In certain districts, attacks by wild animals like elephants and pigs have become a serious issue. They attack farmers and their shelters and make damages to crops on a mass scale. During harvesting season the attacks become more regular than during other periods. In Kurunegala, Matale, and Ampara Districts, between 500 and 900 wild animal attacks are reported a year.
Past 10 years
During the past 10 years there have been 34 severe natural disasters in Sri Lanka. The Ministry of Disaster Management reports that losses including death of 37,545 people cost about $ 5.96 billion. The tsunami disaster alone killed about 31,225 people, damaged 260,967 shelters and resulted in the disappearance of 4,500 individuals. Total cost of tsunami disaster had been $ 3.6 million. Fortunately tsunamis are not a frequent occurrence in Sri Lanka.
The impact of manmade disasters are sometimes more severe than that of natural calamities. Illegal migration to other countries, catastrophe of Sri Lankan women in Middle East, hardships undergone by fishing community, human trafficking, abuse of children, drug abuse and road accidents occupy a dominant place among manmade disasters.
Human smugglers deceive innocent youth and send them to Australia, Korea or Italy by illegal means. They charge from Rs. 500,000 to Rs. 1,000,000 per youth. They start a 25 to 30 day risky journey in a congested boat. Due to overloading, the boat capsizes in the deep sea and they lose their lives. Otherwise, these travellers get into the hands of the Navy or Police. Eventually, they end up with nothing. Over the last three years, about 8,000 illegal migrants have been caught by Navy and Police authorities.
Women seek jobs as domestic servants in Middle East countries through illegal employment agencies. Once they land in a new destination, many women are exploited and abused. Similarly, human trafficking takes place within the island itself. Smugglers showing a rosy picture about employment in urban localities take children from poor rural families and women to the town. They undergo untold difficulties and agonies at their working places. Drug addiction is another tragedy that destroys the future of children and youth.
While struggling with the sea for living, the fishing community face many misfortunes. Willingly or unwillingly they enter the Indian waters for fishing and get arrested by Indian authorities. Engine problems of trawlers and strong cyclones sometimes decide their destiny. Such pathetic incidents faced by fishing community are on the increase.
Loss of lives on road accidents is another tragic disaster. According to the Police Department, there are nearly 3,000 fatal accidents per year. Driving under the influence of alcohol, carelessness and negligence of road rules by drivers, speeding and mistakes on the part of pedestrians are key causes for road accidents.
The Ministry of Disaster Management plays a praiseworthy role to minimise the effects of above disasters. Streamlining the cooperation extended by Police Department, district secretaries and public can improve efficiency and effectiveness of the service delivery of the Ministry.
During a short period of time, the Ministry has launched and implemented several important projects such as collection of data and information on disasters, dissemination of information among relevant parties and individuals, awareness raising among communities, implementation of disaster management programs and formulation of a Disaster Management Policy.
Poor people more vulnerable
Disasters are common to any country. There is no disaster free country in the world. One country suffers from one or few disasters either natural or manmade. Resource poor countries in the developing world suffer the most from disasters.
Recovery from disaster losses consumes large sums of funds. With recurrence of such disasters, poor countries cannot move forward for development but have to recover disaster losses every year. Within disaster prone countries, certain communities become easily vulnerable to such disasters. Economically marginalised poor communities who cannot afford for living in safer regions undergo untold difficulties during such incidents.
Preparedness
Man is responsible for creating and expediting the occurrence of natural calamities to a certain extent. Deforestation, improper land use pattern, clearing the hilltops for human activities, polluting and dirtying the environment and river basins and mis-utilisation of natural resources have turned the natural hazards into disasters.
Nature provides enormous resources for man to survive on earth. If we destroy nature, nature in turn treats us in the same manner. Disasters, either natural or manmade, cause deaths of millions of people, render homeless another several millions and loss of livelihoods for some more millions. Damage made to infrastructure and environment costs billions of funds.
The magnitude of a disaster is measured by the cost of all these losses. Human beings are unable to avoid natural calamities. But the impact can be mitigated through awareness creation, proper land use pattern, evacuation of people from disaster prone areas, and preparedness.
In the development strategy of disaster prone countries, an integral component should be disaster mitigation and management. Economically marginalised communities need government assistance to settle in safer areas. Community-based preparedness is the most needed element in impact mitigation efforts. A multi-agency coordinated effort is required to reduce the impact of disasters.
Manmade disasters could be minimised through law enforcement, carefulness and vigilance. We are living in an era requiring the inclusion of a disaster management strategy in economic development strategies in every country.
(The writer is Deputy Minister of Education and Monitoring MP of Ministry of Youth Affairs & Skills Development and can be reached via [email protected].)
