Over Rs. 257 b damage to economy via natural disasters in past decade

The United Nations Office for the Coordination of Humanitarian Affairs (UNOCHA) said yesterday that natural disasters in Sri Lanka during the past decade have inflicted an economic cost of over Rs. 257 billion or US$ 1.95 billion.

UNOCHA said that in the last 34 years, natural disasters have killed more than 37,000 Sri Lankans. As recently as November 2010, heavy monsoon rains triggered devastating floods in parts of the country, affecting close to 1.2 million people (319,451 families). 

Thousands of families have lost their livelihoods. Some 30,000 houses were partially damaged or completely destroyed and 300,000 hectares of rice paddy was ruined.

In an effort to mitigate effects of disasters, the Survey Department of Sri Lanka and the UNOCHA yesterday signed a historic agreement for digital data dissemination.

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