Sri Lanka
COUNTRY REPORT
Presented by
Ms. V. JEGARASASINGAM
Additional Secretary
Ministry of Social Services
Government of Sri Lanka

CONTENTS
1. INTRODUCTION *2. Major Natural Disasters of Sri Lanka. *2.1. Floods *2.2. Landslides *2.3. Droughts *2.4. Cyclones *2.5. Sea Erosion *2.6. Earthquakes *3. DISASTER MITIGATION IN SRI LANKA *3.1. Flood Mitigation *3.2. Erosion control strategies *4. The National Disaster Reduction and Management Policy and Programme *4.1. Civil Defence Organizations and Their Activities *4.2. The Role of Volunteers and Non-Governmental Organizations for Disaster Preparedness and Relief *5. Assessment of Capacities and Need Identification : Obstacles to counter Measures, Disasters, Disaster Emergency
Management, Relief and Recovery *5.1. Lack of Training and Education in the Disaster Management field *5.2. Lack of Funds *5.3. No Special Package of Assistance to the Disaster Victims *5.4. Delay of the Relief Distribution Channels *5.5. Inadequate Search and Rescue Operations *6. Conclusion *7. Annexures *1. INTRODUCTION
Sri Lanka is an Island with a land area of 65,610 square kilometers. It is situated between the 5.55′and9.51′N, 79.41 and 81.54 E. The Island is 224 Km wide and 432 Km long at its furthest point. The mean
temperature in most parts of the Island ranges from 26 to 28C. The relative humidity varies generally fromabout 70% during the day to about 90 - 95% night in the Southwest quadrant; in the dry zone parts ofNorthwest and Southwest, humidity does down to about 60%. Rainfall occurs in Sri Lanka during theSouthwest and Northeast monsoons. During the Southwest monsoon (mid may to September) rainfall ismainly confined to the Southwest of the Island , whereas during the Northeast monsoon (October to
February) rainfall occurs in the North and East of the Island.

Sri Lanka’s economy is mainly agricultural, based on the production and export of tea, rubber, coconut,
garments, gems and minor export crops. Paddy is the main domestic crop, and rice is the staple food of thepeople, Foreign employment and tourism play an important role in the economy of the country.

Sri Lanka’s population is 18.3 million in 1996; around 79% of the population live in rural areas.
Buddhism is the main religion of Sri Lanka. Around 69% of the population are Buddhists and the rest
belong to Christianity, Hinduism and Islam. Sri Lanka is a Socialist Democratic Republic headed by the
Executive president. The country is divided into nine Provincial Councils, 25 Districts, and into 264
Divisions for the purpose of administration.

2. Major Natural Disasters of Sri Lanka.
In Sri Lanka, floods, Landslides, Cyclones, Droughts, Wind storms and coastal erosion are the main causes
for Natural Disasters. (Annexure I) These natural disasters have caused loss of life, and enormous damage
and destruction to property. (Annexure II) In addition to these natural disasters, the country also incurs
heavy toll on account of man made disasters such as deforestation, indiscriminate coral, sand and gem
mining, and industrial hazards besides ethnic conflicts and occasional political violence in the recent past.

2.1. Floods
Floods are more of a common occurrence in Sri Lanka than the other natural disasters (Annexure III, IV,
V) .The water resources map of 1959 identified 103 river basins of which about 10 rivers are considered as
major. Among these major rivers Kalani, Gin, Nilwala and Mahaweli are vulnerable to floods. The increasein population and subsequent need for land have forced more and more people to live and work in thesevulnerable areas, thereby intensifying the risk to life and property in the event of major floods. Heavy
rainfall and run off the large volume of water from the catchment areas of rivers, deforestation, improper
land use and the absence of scientific soil conservation practices could be identified as the major factors forfloods in Sri Lanka. Moreover with global heating due to the green house effect, topical countries are
expected to get less annual rainfall, but increased rainfall intensities. The average annual rainfall ranges
from 500 mm. to 800 mm. The highest rainfall of 805 mm. At Kanukken in 1897 and 508 mm. at
Nedunkerni in .1911. Due to the Southwest and Northeast monsoon rains, floods occur in the Island. The
districts of Kegalle, Ratnapura, Kalutara, Colombo, Gampaha and Gall are subject to floods on account ofSouthwest monsoon rains, while Ampara, Trincomalee, Badulla, Polonnaniwa, Batticaloa, Matale andMonaragala suffer from the Northeast rains.

2.2. Landslides
Heavy rains and geological changes in the hill country, accentuated by the indiscriminate clearance ofsteep slopes in the mountainous areas, have increased the occurrences of frequent landslides especiallyduring the last two decades in the mountain slopes of the Central and South Western regions of the Island.
Landslides like any other natural disaster are a concern to us as they threaten the life and property of thepeople in the hill slopes. The landslides of January 1986 and again those of may and June 1989 surpassed
all previous landslides in recent memory, on all counts of the extent of damage and personal tragedy. The
1986 January landslides were by far the most damaging one, claiming 51 lives, rendering nearly 100
families homeless and affecting more or less all the seven landslide-prone districts of the hill country. A
little over three years later, that was in may and June 1989, the landslide events surpassed all the earlier
events in severity and magnitude, claiming more than 300 lives, rendering a large number of poor families
homeless over an extensive part of the hill country. Most recently, October 1993, the landslide at Helaudain Ratnapura district resulted in the loss of 29 lives and destruction of many houses. A staggering statistics
for the total loss due to landslide in 1989 alone was estimated to be in the region of Rs. 142 million.

2.3. Droughts
Recently that is in 1996, We have experienced one of the serious droughts which has resulted in eveninterruption to power supply causing much hardships to people and serious effects to the National
Economy. Every year, somewhere in the country, some people are faced with droughts of short-duration
which are only of local significance and they are seldom reported. Drought of regional significance do occur
once in every 3 to 4 years. Severe droughts of national significance occur after a considerable period oftime, within 10 years or so. After the severe drought of 1935-1937, the other severe droughts of nationalsignificance occurred during the periods 1947-1949, 1953-1956, 1965, 1974-1977, 1981-1983, 1985 and in
1995-1996. Of all these major droughts, those occurred during the periods 1953-1956, 1974-1977, 1981-

1983 and 1995-1996 had caused major set backs to the economy. Although droughts cannot be classified assudden disasters, they do cause hardship and financial loss mostly to farmers. In the drought of 1996,
181,095 families in 17 districts were baldly affected.

2.4. Cyclones
Sri Lanka has been affected mostly by cyclone activity occurring in the Bay of Bengal. The Eastern,
Northern and North Central regions are the cyclone prone areas of Sri - Lanka. Although cyclones do notoccur frequently in Sri Lanka, these are not totally outside the range of disasters. The records show that
cyclones have affected the Eastern, Northern and North Central Provinces. Sri Lanka has been hit bycyclones during the past 70 years causing severe damages to the economy. The 1978 cyclone alone affected
more than one million people, killed nearly a thousand persons, partially and completely damaged nearly
250,000 houses, destroyed 90% of the coconut plantation in the Batticaloa district and resulted in thegovernment having to. Spend over Rs. 600 million to bring immediate relief to those affected. Also cyclones
of severe intensity struck Sri Lanka in 1922, 1931 and 1 964.(Annexure VI)

2.5. Sea Erosion
Sri Lanka has a coastline of 1585 km. More than half of her 18.3 million population live in village, town
and cities of the coastal district. The economic importance of the coastal areas has increased further withthe rapid urbanization, the development of commercial harbours (Colombo, Galle and Trincomalee).
Fishing harbours and anchorage, main lines of communication (road and rail), recreational facilities andtourism.

It has been estimated that over 50-55 percent of the shoreline is subjected to or threatened by coasterosion. The most critically affected areas are those between Kalpitiya in the Northwest and Matara in theSouth. (Annexure VII) shows the erosion trends in selected reaches of the coastline. One of the worst
affected reaches is the coastal sector from Maha oya to Lansigama, where erosion rates of 3.5-4.5 m/m/year
have been recorded.

Shoreline retreat due to sea erosion has been a severe problem in Sri Lanka resulting in damage to andloss of property and infrastructure facilities, and development efforts.

2.6. Earthquakes
Earthquakes in living memory have not caused disasters in Sri Lanka. There is a record of some several
hundreds of people killed in the Seventeenth century, when sea encroached inland western coastal areas
near Colombo. We do not have evidence how this sea level rise took place more than 2000 years ago. It
could well be due to Tsunamis or a tidal wave resulting from an offshore earthquake that engulfed arid
flooded the western coast of Sri Lanka. We know that at least during the last few decades Sri Lanka has
been affected by more than half a dozen earthquakes offshore the very last being 1953 (5.6 on Richter
Scale) 100 Km west of Colombo. We are not living in an area categorized as seismically very active like thePacific Ocean where such tsunamis are common. But recent (1993) later occurred in a region categorized assafe in India and killed more than 10,000 people. Earthquakes can occur any time any where in the world
without sufficient notice.

3. DISASTER MITIGATION IN SRI LANKA
3.1. Flood Mitigation
Sri Lanka is rich in ancient culture. The hydraulic civilization found in the Dry Zone by ancient Sinhalese
Kings display evidence of remarkable human effort taken to mitigate the drought hazard. The major
features of this civilization were the construction of an intricate systems of reservoirs for storing water for
agriculture. There is no doubt that the rural population in the dry zone whose survival there today as aresult of the timely and proper disaster plans initiated by the ancient monarchs. In the past community
lived on the riverbank in perfect harmony with the nature. The challenges faced by local communities ledthem to develop their own mechanisms to reduce the impact of the flood. There are two approaches to flood
mitigation. One is to take water away from the people and the other is to take people away from water. The
first method is also known as the structural approach; this is adopted along the basins of Kelani, Gin andNilwala rivers as a measure to control inundation and the consequent damages. The other approach is thenon-structural approach where timely flood warning is given to the people to move out of the area before
the breach of floods. This method is practiced to some extent in the lower Kelani Ganga, and in the suburbsof Colombo.

Flooding of Kelani Ganga has serious consequences as the outfall being near the capital city of Colombo.
When the flood level of Kelani Gamga is between 5 and 7 ft, the flood is defined as a major flood and when
it exceeds 9 ft, the flood is considered to be dangerous. The heaviest storm probably occurred in 1832 withmaximum recorded height of 13.5 ft, at Nagalagam and thereafter the occurrences had been in October1913,
May 1927, May 1928, October 1930, May 1933, May 1936, May 1939, August 1947, October 1966, October
1967, and July 1989.

During the period of 1930 to 1935 both banks of the Kelani Ganga near the city of Colombo were provided
with flood protection bunds. These bands are capable of providing safety to the Colombo city for a 25 year
period. However, due to encroachment and poor maintenance , a complete rehabilitation of this flood
protection scheme has now become absolutely necessary.

The Gin Ganga flood protection scheme was launched in 1975 with the financial support from the People's
Republic of China. Protection is provided against of flood of 10 years return period, and an extent of 5000
ha. of paddy has been protected from frequent flooding. Ten electrically driven pumping units were
installed to cater to the local drainage on the protected side.

The Nilwala Ganga flood protection scheme was completed in 1993 and it provides protection to 5600 ha.
Of paddy lands with three diesel driven pumping units. Of the three stages of project implementation, only
two stages were completed leaving out the last stage unattended. Even though the scheme was originallydesigned for flood protection, the project was launched to provide drainage facilities for low lying lands andtherefore the pumps have to be run everyday. Due to the non- completion of the third stage of the projectand due to several other reasons, the scheme has not been very successful. The non-completion of the stage
3 of the project has also increased the flood threat to Matara town. In addition, about 2000 ha. of developed
lands are located in the unprotected area as the location of the newly constructed flood bunds are awayfrom the river banks.

Among the non-structural flood mitigation methods, a flood forecasting system has been introduced only inthe case of Kelani Ganga. Forecasting of water levels in the river is done by means of four upstream gauges
and the data transmission is done with radio equipment. An organizational setup and the necessary
standing orders are available to facilitate coordination among several institutions during a flood. This
scheme prepared in 1968 was updated by the Irrigation Department in 1993 which can be considered as acomprehensive study to provide a detailed mitigation plan for the city of Colombo. Ratnapura is a town in
the upper basin of Kalu Ganga which is subjected to frequent flooding. However due to limited travel timeof the flood wave, it is not possible to warn the people. At present, there is no structural plan to mitigate
flood in Kalu Ganga.

Among the structural measures taken during the recent past by the Government to control floods, both Gin
Ganga and Nilwala Ganga flood protection scheme can be highlighted. These two projects are provided
with safety measures against a flood of 10 year return period.

A flood protection study for Kelani Ganga was done in 1990 under DANIDA aid and this project provided
the necessary computer facilities and software to model Kalani Ganga. Action is being taken by the
Department of Irrigation to prepare a proposal for funding by the world meteorological organization to
install a real time flood forecasting system for Kelani Ganga. This will serve as a pilot project.

It may not be possible to prevent the occurrence of droughts altogether. Nevertheless, there arepossibilities to make adjustments for droughts and mitigate the likely losses. In this regard, first andforemost, efforts must be made jointly by the state and the people to abstain from interfering recklessly
with the natural environment that accentuates the hazard and its ill effects. People also have to beprepared to cope with droughts as and when they occur. In addition to these pre-disaster preparation
activities, there has to be an effective mechanism to undertake post-disaster activities such as.

a. assessment of damage to property
b. assessment of damage to gainful activitiesc. immediate action to provide relief to the droughts victims and rehabilitate them

3.2. Erosion control strategies
The coast Conservation Department is statutorily responsible for taking mitigatory measures to combat
sea erosion. The strategy adopted is two fold. Where vital infrastructure is threatened, coast protection
measures such as revetments and groynes are constructed. Depending on the urgency, either aplanned/designed revetment or protection is installed or an emergency revetment consisting of mix
material is dumped from tipper trucks or in areas of limited access, gabion boxes filled with rubble (150mm- 225mm) would be used. The work is carried out by the Department.

Such protection measures are classified as short - to - medium term solutions and require annual
maintenance. However these measures specialty revetment may hinder or obstruct the continuance ofbeach user activities such as beach since fishing, boat beaching, and even recreation (tourism).

Long-term measures are based on the Coast Erosion Management Plan (CEMP) and the Coastal Zone
Management Plan. Both these plans are now being implemented. The CEMP considers that in the reachesof erosion prone critical areas termed as key areas (vide Annexure VIII), impacts on the people would be
minimized if a solution is adopted. Storm surges, though not a frequent phenomenon, do occasionally cause
large scale inundation of areas and damage to infrastructure and housing specially in the East. The
strategy adopted in this area is to delineate setback zones and improve the coastal vegetation.

The Coastal Zone Management Plan (Coastal Erosion Management Plan) seeks to regulate development,by legally enforcing ‘No-Build-Zone’(Setback); these setbacks vary with location and the type ofdevelopment. With the enforcement of the ‘No-Build-Zone’, through the Coast Conservation Act and its
amendments, the pressure on the beach is reduced. In addition, the Department also undertakes Public
Awareness Programmes (PAP) whereby coastal communities are educated on the basics of coastal resource
management, and the need to adapt appropriate action to minimize the adverse effects of erosion.

4. The National Disaster Reduction and Management Policy and Programme
The Disaster Management in Sri Lanka took a new turn in 1993 when an Action Plan and the Disaster
Counter Measures Bill were prepared. The basic objectives of the Action Plan can be drawn from_ the Act
itself. These are as follows;a. Prevention and Mitigation of Disaster,b. Protection of life and property from the effects of Disaster,c. Maintenance and restoration of order in areas effected by disasters,c. Provision of facilities for emergency response, relief, rehabilitation and reconstruction in
the event of a disaster,

The plan classified the activities under the following groups:
a. Preparedness action,
b. Relief operation,c. Recovery, rehabilitation and reconstruction,
d. Awareness and public education,

The policy framework under which the plan would operate has been spelt out in the plan as follows:a. Introduction of improved professional practices in the areas of agriculture, land use planning,
construction and maintenance;b. Encouragement of participation of non-governmental organization, private institutions andindividuals, and soliciting and directing private donations to recipients in affected areas;c. Fostering scientific and engineering studies (e.g. landslide hazard mapping) as tools forsustainable development;
d. Shifting of emphasis to pre-disaster planning and preparedness, while sustaining and further
improving post - disaster relief, recovery and rehabilitation capabilities; ande. Integration of disaster prevention and preparedness in the national as well as sub-national
planning process.

In order to Co-Ordinate the Disaster Management work at hamlet, divisional, district and provincial levels,the plan suggests formation of committees at the respective levels. These committees consist of personnel
drawn from the public and private sectors. The plan also spells out the functions of the National Centre forDisaster Management. (Annexure IX)The centre was inaugurated in July 1996. This centre functions as
the servicing secretariat of the National Disaster Management Council. (annexure X) The Disaster
Management Centre has been set up under the Sri Lanka Disaster Counter Measures Bill (Annexure XI)
The Disaster Management Co-ordinating Committee is the apex body today for disaster prevention. This
committee looks into to the prevention, mitigation and recovery from disasters. (Annexure XII)The Department of Social Services under the Ministry of Social Services plays a key role in disastermanagement. The subject of disaster Management has now come under the purview of the Ministry ofSocial Services. Emergency relief assistance for the victims of disasters is now being rendered andmanaged by the department of Social Services. The rehabilitation and reconstruction functions too arecoming under the purview of the department.

The country also has vital institutions such as Provincial Councils, District Secretariats and Divisional
Secretariats at the various levels to prepare and direct recovery activities. The District and Divisional level
Disaster Management Co-Ordinating Committees have been established to monitor disaster management
activities at the district and divisional levels as mentioned in para 4.4 above. The department implements
all prevention, relief and rehabilitation activities through the Divisional Secretariats. The Department andthe Divisional Secretariats have middle officers, called the Social Service officers, to assist the Divisional
Secretariats to carry out the prevention and relief work at the Divisional level. These Secretariats also
have another grade of officers viz; Grama Niladaries, Administrative officers at the Village level, toimplement the activities relating to disasters in their areas of jurisdiction. The grassroot level Disaster
Management Committees have also been established to co-ordinate all activities pertaining to disasters at
the village level.

4.1. Civil Defence Organizations and Their Activities
In Sri Lanka, Civil Defence organization play a major role in the event of disasters to protect the lives andproperty from such calamities as floods, landslides and cyclones. At the grassroot level, we have the Grama
Niladaries to provide basic assistance with the help of civil Defence organizations. Thereafter, as
mentioned above , we have Divisional level institutions called the Divisional Secretariats headed by theDivisional Secretary, who coordinates all operational activities and the provision of emergency relief in theevent of a Disaster. At the Divisional level, he coordinates all disaster functions coming under the Civil
Defence organizations. At the provincial level, we have provincial level Civil Defence Committee which ischaired and coordinated by the chief Minister. On top of these arrangements, under the proposed Disaster
Counter Measures Bill. We have the Committee under the chairmanship of the Prime Minister, tocoordinate all activities regarding a disaster at the national level. The activities of the Civil Defence
organizations at various levels can be summarized as follows.

a. Immediately after a disaster, officers are despatched to identify and assist people as quickly as
possible.
b. Identify the seriously injured people and assist the community in organizing emergency evacuation
for health treatment centres.
c. Ensure that the police station functions immediately. The department of Social Services recently
established an information centre to collect and disseminate data on natural and man made disasters.

We have already done substantial work in Sri Lanka in the area of mitigation. To reduce the impact ofdisasters, we have structural and nonstructural measures, such as legislation and incentives for people inlandslide areas. (Anexure XIII) However, people are reluctant to move out of their traditional habitats
though their area is prone to landslide. The department provides financial assistance to the people living in
the low lying areas in the Kalutara district to build flood resistance houses. But the programme did not
succeed due to the reluctance of the people to put their own resources also to implement this type ofprogrammes. Therefore, it has become necessary to create awareness among the people living in areas
prone to disaster like floods, landslides, and severe droughts to adopt themselves to disaster conditions byaccepting the programme which will enable them to live without becoming disaster victims.

4.2. The Role of Volunteers and Non-Governmental Organizations for Disaster Preparedness and Relief
The dependence on volunteer organizations has become inevitable in disaster preparedness and relief
programmes in Sri Lanka. They can respond at short notice to an emergency situation since they don’t
have to work through bureaucratic channels. They can bring in expertise from outside whenever necessary
at very short notice. Their budgets are fairly flexible. On the other hand , they are at a disadvantage inthat they do not have the necessary authority and at times the official contacts to get things done. The
major advantages of the volunteers and NGOO for disaster preparedness are as follows:a. NGOO can participate with their expertise at the stage of formulation of policy and National
Plans.
b. NGOO could be useful in providing necessary material in disaster management such as theprovision of food, drugs and clothes.
c. NGOO can provide experts for training of local officials.
d. They can help in the designing and production of information material to the public regarding
disaster preparedness and relief.
e. They can be assigned with specific roles in advance, e.g. Supply of emergency kits and firstaid kits.
f. NGOO can render help in the running of refugee camps.

5. Assessment of Capacities and Need Identification : Obstacles to counter Measures, Disasters,
Disaster Emergency Management, Relief and Recovery

Inadequate Disaster Management Information System: The present system of information flows throughthe lowest officer of administration, Grama Niladari, to the Divisional Secretariat, and from there to thedepartment of Social Services. With the occurrence of a disaster, the Grama Niladari collects theinformation on the damage to property and life, and furnishes that to the Divisional Secretariat which inturn transmits it to the department.

The Divisional Secretary has to prepare a complete report including the required funds to cover all relief
assistance, rehabilitation and reconstruction work according to the data submitted by the Social Services
officers, and has to submit the report to the department of Social Services. The present information systemon disasters is rather weak and ineffective due to several shortcomings and bottle necks such as using
obsolete data collecting methods, lack of modem communication facilities and instruments, inadequate
training of the grassroot level officers and divisional level officers. (Annexure XII)

5.1. Lack of Training and Education in the Disaster Management field
Lack of training to the relief and rehabilitation workers has been identified as a major challenge. Technicaltraining required for emergency relief activities, training and education for emergency managers andplanners at different levels and awareness for the general public have yet not received adequate attention
at the policy making level, in the preparation of personnel for disaster management. There are no
institutional facilities in Sri Lanka to train emergency managers, create awareness among the generalpublic and volunteers. As a result, relief and recovery activities cannot be conducted effectively.

5.2. Lack of Funds
As the funds voted annually to the department of Social Services is limited, the operation of adequately
funded relief and rehabilitation programmes for the victims of disasters is not possible. For example in1996, the Department was allocated with Rs. 110 million to meet relief, recovery and the otherrequirements of disaster victims; but this amount was not at all sufficient to meet the needs of the victims.
Due to financial constraints faced by the Sri Lanka government, provision of sufficient relief to cope withemergency situations is not possible, unless Donor Assistance is forthcoming. The victims are unable toobtain necessary compensation for their damage to property and lives. For instance, the 1993 flood had
caused Rs. 554 million damages to private and public property, but the government released only Rs. 184
million to meet the requirements of the flood victims.

5.3. No Special Package of Assistance to the Disaster Victims

In Sri Lanka, there is no special package of assistance designed to suit the requirements of severe disastervictims except the assistance given by the department of Social Services which is common to victims of all
type of disasters. It is not always possible to relocate all the persons and property from the vulnerable
areas to the safer areas. The soft loan schemes and special package of assistance for recommencing
economic activities if made available will quicken the process of recovery. It is worthwhile to create a safety
net in the form of insurance cover for people and property in the disaster prone areas. This will help thevictims and the government.

5.4. Delay of the Relief Distribution Channels
Public sector assistance for victims of disaster, as seen in the previous paragraphs, are provided throughthe government institutions such as the department of Social Services, District Secretaries, Divisional
Secretaries, and Grama Niladalies. The Divisional Secretary who obtains the allocation of funds from thedepartment of Social Services provides relief like cooked food, dry rations and other requirements throughthe co-orperative outlets at the village level. NGOO and voluntary organizations also distribute relief
assistance which are generally coordinated by the department of Social Services. The distribution of relief
is sometimes delayed due to transport difficulties and damages to roads arising out of a disaster.

5.5. Inadequate Search and Rescue Operations
The search and rescue operations are vital aspects of emergency response in the event of a disaster that
affects the people and property. Taking the landslides into consideration, there is no institutionalframework which supports the search and rescue teams at the field level. Normally it is the police and thearmed forces who undertake the search and rescue operations in the events of landslides, floods, andcyclones, although they have no systematic training in order to ensure that no additional damage is done tolife and property on account of search and rescue operations. The necessary skills should be imparted tothe armed forces, police, voluntary groups and people in each of the disaster prone areas; and the necessary
equipment must also be made available to them so that men and machinery could be mobilized at the local
level immediately to undertake the search and rescue operations successfully.

6. Conclusion
It may appear that the severity and frequency of the natural disasters in Sri Lanka may not be on thesame high scales as one finds in some countries. Nevertheless, the damages, hardship and the relocation
arising from natural disasters taken together with the man made disasters including civil conflicts andpolitical violence are indeed very grave for a small country such as Sri Lanka.

The government of Sri Lanka is therefore deeply committed to turn the tide towards preparedness, to meet
any natural disasters, that will eventually ensure high degree of safety and minimum losses. The policy
initiatives and measures taken during the last three years, as already discussed in the preceding
paragraphs, is indicative of the long agenda for the years ahead.

It is useful to note that no amount of legislation and institutionalization will provide all the answers to
disasters. What is needed is a plan that will note signals and quickly set in motion a stale of preparedness,
to face disasters and set of action to provide speedy relief to the affected persons and property. This is a
responsibility of the entire country where the government is naturally expected to act as a prime moveraction.

Disaster will occur whether we like it or not. Therefore it is better to let nature take it course, then use allavailable means of assistance to built a better tomorrow.

7. Annexures

Proportion of Number of Affected Families by disaster - 1995
Total number of Families 91,386

Annexure II(A)OCCURRANCE OF NATURAL DISASTER AND ALLOCATEDFUNDS FOR RELIEF AND REHABILITATION ACTIVITIESFOR 1981 - 1997

Year

Type of Disaster

Flood & Landslides

No.
Death

of No.
Affected
Families
2

Drought
1981

Elephant Damages
Casual Reliefof Expenditure
forRelief(Rs.)

15,3182,291,930

204,21142,654,647

26

3,065

3,514

570,193

Total

2

223,069

45,519,835

Flood & Landslides

42

129,513

14,621,023

372,436

118,920,957

4 229

787 828

1982

Drought
Casual Relief

Casual Relief
Total

42

Flood & Landslides
1983

Drought
Elephant Damages
Casual Relief
Total

Flood & Landslides
1984

44

Drought
Elephant Damages
Casual Relief

1985

4,229

787,828

506,178

134,329,808

204

58,077435,926

87,929,636

175

35,821

4,967

877,946441,272

88,901,480

248,356

4,658,558

3,008

209,842429

84,135

8,783

1,296,527

Total

44

260,576

6,249,062

Flood & Landslides

19

18,8692,780,699

Drought

20,4884,889,513

Elephant Damages

6,317

1,226,640

45,674

8,896,852

Total

19

Annexure 11(B)Flood & Landslides

40

Drought
1986

Elephant Damages
Casual Relief
Total

40

118,494

13,676,252

5,303

2,400

91

27,0003,969

780,080

127,857

14,485,732

5,053

568,820484,925

72,969,136

140

89,9501987
Flood & Landslides
Drought
Elephant Damages

Casual Relief

4,617

585,500

68

2,035

4,200,000

Total

68

496,770

78,413,406

Flood & Landslides

3

26,3732,867,089

652,363

28,553,911

3,683

648,6323

682,419

32,069,632

325

86,17649,077,863

238,426

24,335,145

Breach
Tank

1988

of

KantaleDrought
Casual Relief
Total

1989

1990

Flood & Landslides
Drought
Total

325

324,60273,413,008

Flood & Landslides

37

157,427

38,694,275

203,794

6,721,942

Drought
Casual Relief

1991

311,000

Total

37361,22145,727,217

Flood & Landslides

34

55,491

78,876,485

203,794

230,202,076

Drought
Casual Relief
Total

625,000
34

259,285309,703,561

Annexure II(C)
Flood & Landslides
1992

71,080Casual Relief
Total

1993

25

154,572,300
27,403,000

25

71,080181,975,300

Flood6

210,874

30,001,904

Landslides

29

870

4,419,500

160

497,000

450

700,000

16,383

7,633,200

Sea Erosion
Cyclone1

Drought
Drinking Water

475,000

Elephant Damages
Total

36

Flood
Landslides

8

Sea Erosion
1994

Cyclone1022915746731604

353,40937,401,904

284

628,520384

880,183456

627,600
618,700

Drinking Water

205,500

Elephant Damages

199,800
1835453340562207

353,40937,401,904

Landslides

484

2,970,686

Sea Erosion

517

366,800

1,403

958,807260

481,300

35607342179497

8,238

12,224,897

75

52,4008,360

14,870,185

Drought

199,535

424,856,387

Drinking Water

22,807568,000

Flood

CycloneDrinking Water
Total

Flood

3

Landslides
Cyclone1996

3,005,000

Drought

Total

1995

420

10

Accidents/Bomb
Blast

84

84

1,165,130

Total

97

239099453736999

Flood

4

29,94816,746,908

Landslides

15

626

1,576,942

434,775

296,863,722

1997

Drought
Drinking Water

1,778,200

CycloneAccident

650
69

Sea Erosion
Total

88

2,537,735

69
154

363,980466222320847552

Annexure V

MAJOR FLOODS IN COLOMBO
YEAR

WATER LEVEL IN FEET

MONTH

1837

13.50

1872

11.9

1891

9.80

1904

990

1906

10.80

1913

11.00

-

1922

12.60

-

1925

11.50

JULY

1928

9.08

MAY

1930

10.91

OCTOBER

1933

9.95

MAY

1936

9.43

MAY

1937

10.33

MAY

1939

9.35

MAY

1940

11.00

MAY

1942

8.17

JULY

1943

6.58

MAY

1944

6.00

MAY

1947

12.85

AUGUST

1947

6.00

OCTOBER

1952

8.25

MAY

1952

6.00

OCTOBER

1955

8.00

OCTOBER

1957

6.25

DECEMBER

1963

6.42

OCTOBER

1966

8.67

SEPTEMBER

1966

9.00

OCTOBER

1967

9.17

OCTOBER

1971

7.33

SEPTEMBER

1975

6.58

MAY

1989

9.20

JUNE

Annexure VII

EROSION TRENDS IN THE SELECTED REACHES OF THE
COAST LINE OF SRI LANKA.

Location / Reach

Length of Reach

Erosion Rate

% Reach Subject(km)(m/m/yr.)

to erosion

Maha Oya to Lansigama

7.0

3.5 - 4.5

80

Wellarnankara to Maha Oya

4.8

3.0

80

Maha Oya to Poratota

3.2

3.0

80

1

2

3

4

5

Colombo north

11.5

1.0 - 2.570

Usewetekeiyawa to Palliyawatte

6.5

2.5

75

Palliyawatte to Crow Island

2.0

1.1

70

Crow Island to Muttuwal F / H

3.0

0.5

20

Kalutara

11.0

0.5 - 2.0

60

Kalutara North to Kalu R / I

6.0

1.5

40

KaIu Ganga to Maggona

5.0

2.0

70

Beruwala / Bentota

11.0

1.5 - 2.0

42

Beruwala to Bentota R

8.0

1.5

60

Bentota R to Robolgoda

3.2

1.0

75

Hikkaduwa

10.0

1.0 - 2.060

Seenigama to Coral Garden

6.0

1.0

45

Coral Garden H / I Dodandu

4.0

1.0

60

Annexure IX
NATIONAL DISASTER MANAGEMENT CENTERMISSION STATEMENTOUR MISSION IS TO PROTECT HUMAN
LIFE, PROPERTY AND THE ENVIRONMENTFROM NATURAL DISASTER THROUGH
AWARENESS, PREVENTION,
PREPAREDNESS, MITIGATION AND
COORDINATION.

NATIONAL DISASTER MANAGEMENT CENTERFUNCTIONS

A. PREPARATION OF A NATIONAL DISASTER MANAGEMENT PLAN

B. MONITOR THE IMPLEMENTATION OF DISASTER MANAGEMENT PLANS PREPARED BY MINISTRIES,DEPARTMENTS, CORPORATIONS AND ORGANISATIONS(C) PREPARATION OF A NATIONAL EMERGENCY OPERATION PLAN

D. ESTABLISHMENT OF DATABANK AND A DISASTER MANAGEMENT INFORMATION SYSTEM AT
NATIONAL, PROVINCIAL, DISTRICT, DIVISIONAL AND GRAMA NILADHARI LEVEL.

E. PROVIDE ASSISTANCE TO AND FUNCTION AS THE SECRETRIAT TO THE NATIONAL COUNCIL FOR
DISASTER MANAGEMENT ON MATTERS RELATED TO NATURAL DISASTER MANAGEMENT.

RESPONSIBILITIES
1. SECRETARIAT ROLE
To provide secretariat support and assistance to the council in achieving National leadership on all relevant
matters for the implementation of legislation, policies and programmes developed and authorized by the
National Council for Disaster Management.

To provide assistance to the National Council for Disaster Management regarding the enforcement of theexisting Disaster Management Acts and regulations.

2. INTERNATIONAL HUMANITARIAN ASSISTANCE
To establish a system for identifying International Humanitarian Assistance, specific National project needs anddirect liaison with Donor Agencies.

3. PROJECT MANAGEMENT ANT) COORDINATION
To manage, coordinate and monitor where appropriate Disaster Management projects operating in Sri Lanka
and ensure effective input from external agencies such as ADPC,UNDP etc.

4. RELATIONSHIPS WITH RESPONSE AND SUPPORT AGENCIES
To maintain constant positive communications and information exchange with all response agencies and support
agencies and local government in relation to their preparedness for Disaster response.

5. RELATIONSHIPS WITH RELEVANT COMMITEESTo leadership and assistance for committees that relate to Disaster prevention, preparedness, coordination andrecovery.

6. FACILITATION OF DISASTER MANAGEMENT PROFESSIONALN DEVELOPMENT
To initiate and facilitate Disaster Management professional development to ensure an understanding of Disaster
Management principles, roles and responsibilities and preparedness planning for Government and Non
Government Organizations.

7. PUBLIC EDUCATION AND COMMUNITY AWARENESS
To assist the Council in promoting public awareness in the areas of Preparedness, Prevention, Mitigation andRisk Reduction related to Disaster Management leading to enhanced community self-reliance.

To assist the Council in ensuring that adequate publicity is given to the policies and programmes formulated
relating to Disaster Preparedness, Prevention, Mitigation and Risk Reduction through a variety of sources
including the media.

8. POLICY, PLANNING AND COORDINATION
To prepare, coordinate and update a National Disaster Management Plan based on the policies and programmes
issued by the National Council for Disaster Management.

To provide advice and monitor the relevance and appropriateness of the various Disaster Management Plans
prepared by respective Ministries, Departments, Corporations and organizations to enhance a speedy
implementation where necessary.

To prepare, coordinate and update a National Emergency Operation Plan based on the policies and programmes
issued by the National Council for Disaster Management To assist the Natal Council for Disaster Managementin the determination and allocation of Disaster Management funding.

To provide assistance to the Council in monitoring the effective and efficient use of resources available forDisaster Management by all responsible agencies.

To assist the Council in initiating programmes related to prevention and mitigation of disaster and provision ofrelief, rehabilitation and reconstruction.

9. INFORMATION AND RESEARCH.
To establish a National Data Bank of expertise, contacts, information and resources related to Disaster
Management at national, provincial, district, divisional and grama niladhari levels.

To promote, facilitate and coordinate research and development opportunities in the areas of hazards,
vulnerability, social impacts and risk reduction by various means such as staffing attachments, utilization of
tertiary institutions or utilization of International Funding.

To establish an agreed and coordinated Disaster Management Information System and Process for receiving anddistributing timely and accurate information regarding impending disasters that would impact on thecommunity of Sri Lanka at national, provincial, district, divisional and grama niladhari level.

To assist the Council in reviewing all Post Disaster reports and submit recommendation for enhancement as
appropriate.

Proposed Institutional Framework for
National Disaster Management

Annexure XI
NATIONAL DISASTER MANAGEMENT CENTRE
ORGANIZATIONAL STRUCTURE

Annexure XII

Sri Lanka: Disaster Reduction and Management Programmes and Projects(Some examples of national, sub national, Local/Community Level Programmes/Projects)

Title of Programme/

Brief Description

Projecta)
Urban
Sector Project

Accelerate

Development

Target Beneficiary
Type

NumberUrban

2,000,000

Prog/Proj Area
Coverage

Implementing

Prog/Proj

Funding

Prog/Proj

Agencies

Duration

SourceCost

Urban development

45,000sq.Km

social-economics

5 Years

ADB

US$36M

2 Years

UNDP

US$2.5M

5 Years

UNDP

Authority ofdevelopment &Sri-Lanka

environment
improvement of 17
towns.

b) Development ofStrengthen
disastermanagement frame

National Disasterwork of Sri-Lanka

Management

Urban

Total

All Island

Rural

Population

Ministry of Social
Services

CentreC) Landslide Hazard
Mapping

Pay the way for

Seven

Landslide hazard

Adminis-reduction

trative

Cover area 20%of the island

National Building
Research

UNCHS

Organization

districtsd) Land use policy

To prepare national Landuse policy

planning

Urban

Total

All island

Rural

Population

Ministry of

10 Years

Sri
Lanka
Govern-Agriculture & Landment

Annexuere XIII

Sri Lanka ? Status of disaster Preparedness

Existence

Preparednessof disaster
Type of
Disaster/Occurring

Availability
Monitoring andlevel

Prepared-

Data Collection

ness

Mechanism

Yes

No

National

Regional

Local

Yes

No

Degree of constraints in Mitigation Efforts

Lack of Qualified Man
Power

Shortage of Financial
Resources

Institutional

Lack of equipment
facilities

Deficiencies
M

S

MS

M

S

VS

M

S

VS

M

S

B

B

B

D

A

X

X

Landslide

B

B

C

D

A

X

-

X

Drought

B

B

C

B

B

-

X

-

X

Cyclone

C

A

C

D

A

X

-

-

X

X

X

Sea Erosion

C

B

D

D

A

X

-

-

X

X

X

Others

-

-

-

-

A

X

X

-

Disasters(Man-made)

X

X

X

X

-

X

X

X

MS

Flood

X

Legend: A-Very good M-Moderate
B-Good S-Severe
C-Satisfactory VS-Very severe
C-Poor