Disaster management: Need for radical rethink

Sri Lanka views disaster management as an everyday expectation, only prioritizing it when the threat of disasters becomes real. Cyclone Arnab is currently strengthening in the Bay of Bengal and heading towards India's eastern coast, bringing intense rains to Sri Lanka. Authorities have issued warnings of potential flooding in various regions and landslides in eight districts, with high-risk areas in Ratnapura, Kalutara, and Nuwara Eliya facing evacuation orders at the red level.

The success of a country's disaster management strategy relies on proactive planning and prevention rather than merely reacting to emergencies. Unfortunately, floods continue to claim lives and cause property damage annually. While individuals are warned of potential landslides and evacuated during heavy rains, many still reside in areas prone to landslides, enduring constant fear and repeated evacuations.

Prof. Ranjith Bandara, in his article "From the Tsunami to Cyclone Ditwah: Who is responsible for Sri Lanka’s persistent failures in disaster management?" published in the October 28th issue, urges a fundamental reevaluation of Sri Lanka's disaster management approach. Bandara identifies multiple factors contributing to the country's ongoing struggle with disaster preparedness since the 2004 tsunami to Cyclone Ditwah in 2025.

These include institutional shortcomings, inadequate preparedness due to climate change, unplanned construction, deforestation, and blocked waterways; weak implementation and coordination, notably the National Council for Disaster Management's failure to convene between April 2018 and August 2025; unclear responsibilities, bureaucratic delays, and unspent funds hindering risk-reduction projects; neglected research and community needs; insufficient incorporation of scientific findings and local knowledge into planning; ineffective communication of early warnings; and accountability issues.

Bandara emphasizes that Sri Lanka must prioritize prevention, enforce safety standards, ensure transparent spending, and verify if proposed recommendations are implemented instead of merely evaluating relief efforts. It is alarming that the National Council for Disaster Management did not convene for seven years, and the country's lack of disaster readiness is not surprising.

The National Security Council also failed to meet regularly during the UNP-led Yahapalana government and did not convene during the month preceding the Easter Sunday terror attacks in 2019.

Alarmingly, cities globally are sinking, endangering millions of inhabitants with flooding, damaged infrastructure, and displacement. Groundwater extraction, rapid urbanization, heavy construction, and rising sea levels exacerbate these issues. Jakarta, Mexico City, Bangkok, Ho Chi Minh City, Shanghai, Lagos, and Tehran are among the most affected.

Colombo, a Ramsar wetland city, faces similar risks due to its flat terrain, proximity to the Indian Ocean, and exposure to heavy monsoon rainfall. Rapid, unplanned urban development, loss of wetlands, and inadequate drainage further heighten flood risks.

Sri Lanka must confront the environmental, economic, social, architectural, and engineering challenges associated with the sinking-city phenomenon. Several areas in and around Colombo have been constructed on natural floodplains, former marshes, paddy fields, and low-lying land. Sri Lankan universities and the World Bank have found that urban expansion into flood-prone zones significantly contributes to Colombo's vulnerability to floods.

These urban centers experience flooding almost annually, yet unplanned development persists. Failures in emergency response, lack of proactive planning, and persistent institutional weaknesses highlight the urgent need for a radical overhaul of Sri Lanka's disaster management strategy and the formation of an empowered central coordinating authority with a cross-sectoral mandate to tackle the challenges posed by climate change and natural disasters.