NBRO undertakes landslide mitigation process

by Naalir Jamaldeen

"We are conducting awareness programs to schools in the mountain slopes. We also conducted awareness programs even at Koslanda and Meeriyabedda schools. The NBRO is not targeting any special group.

The loss of lives could be prevented if early warnings from the Authorities were heeded, Director of Landslide Research and Risk Management Division of National Building Research Organization (NBRO) R.M.S. Bandara said in an interview with the Sunday Observer.

In the near future modern technology will be used in the landslide mitigation process with the assistance from JICA. Certain drainage control works, soil stabilisation, piling, anchoring and surface control work will be implemented with assistance from JICA. Rock fences will also be introduced in future.", the Director said.

The Central hill country is the main area we focus attention to mitigate landslides. Tension cracks are the main symptoms of a landslide. The NBRO has asked the people if such cracks were found to evacuate the place immediately, he said.

"Landslides are inexplicable. With bad weather conditions it will occur any time. We can't predict the width and length of a landslide prone location. However, people should heed warnings from the authorities and follow them", he said.

Natural disasters are a common occurrence in the world. It may come in various forms such as earthquakes, landslides, floods and drought.

A couple of weeks before the landslide in Meeriyabedda, Koslanda which claimed many lives while displacing hundreds of people. It is soil condition which is the only reason for such occurrences. Within split seconds everything vanished.

He said that the Badulla and Nuwara Eliya districts were severely affected by the adverse weather. The Central hill country received heavy rainfall continuously prior to the Meeriyabedda tragedy.

According to statistics of the Meteorology Department, the Koslanda area has received over 500 millimeters of rainfall for three days. Heavy rainfall created tension cracks and they moved within split seconds claiming innocent lives. During this time the Kandy district was also at risk.

"The NBRO has declared several locations in the hill country as landslide prone areas. We had already informed the people in these areas to evacuate before any tragedy could happen. We had known that if these areas received heavy rainfalls such incidents would happen and had instructed the people to be vigilant and to be prepared to evacuate at any moment. As expected a tragedy happened", the Director said.

"The NBRO has informed about 370 landslide prone areas in the Badulla district and nearly 350 in the Nuwara-Eliya district. These NBRO landslide experts have already begun surveys in these areas", the Landslide Division Director said.

Eventhough certain locations are out of danger, the people must refrain from going to those places. After instructions from the NBRO some people have returned home, Bandara said.

"By visiting various places we conduct studies to find out whether these areas are suitable for human settlement or vulnerable to landslides.

If the area is safe we instruct the people to go back and resettle. If it is vulnerable we keep them in camps", he said.

"The NBRO has given priority for resettlement because they can't be housed in schools and common buildings continuously. The Government and estate authorities have given us safe lands to resettle displaced people.

If the ground is suitable for settlement they will be given lands to construct houses. Resettlement is taking place in a gradual process. It will take a couple of weeks to complete studies on the site", he said.

Along the Wellawaya-Koslanda road from Beragala to Diyaluma there are high slope areas that are vulnerable to landslides. Eventhough there are bedrocks these areas are located on colluvium soil.

Houses have been constructed on the top of weak material. Water from the top of the hill will infiltrate the soil and if the drainage system is not good the water will be absorbed by the soil and will become weak and start to move downwards, he said.

Besides Bandara said that investigations on landslide prone areas are going on in the Nuwara-Eliya district. Four teams from the NBRO is working in the Nuwara-Eliya district and six teams have been deployed in the Badulla district.

They are conducting studies in two directions such as finding lands for resettlement and identifying landslide prone locations.

"The NBRO is conducting research on ground subsidence in the Matale area. The NBRO plans to develop a model as to how the cavities are formed under the ground and how it is developing. " he said.

"Now the NBRO has identified many landslide prone locations in the country and steps have been taken to mitigate them-:kos4 -:Padiyapelella landslide before the mitigation.

-:kos5 -:Director R.M.S. Bandara.