Lessons from the floods

Over the last week, the country has seen some of the worst floods in recent memory. Incessant rains in virtually all parts of the country have affected tens of thousands of people and around 10 lives have been lost as a result of lightning and floods. Many roads remained impassable for a number of days until the water receded. Even the main international airport remained inaccessible, perhaps for the first time. The economic and social damage is immense.

Floods are a recurring problem in our country. Yet there had been no proper plans to prevent or at least minimise flooding. This should change at least now and the Government has announced many measures which will go a long way towards addressing the problem. It has also responded swiftly to the emerging situation, assessing damage, granting relief and ensuring accessibility. The Security Forces have also displayed their peacetime capabilities, with all three Forces coming to the rescue of marooned residents and delivering supplies.

There is a school of thought that the recent floods are partly a result of climate change which the whole world is undergoing. There could be some truth in this, as many countries with little or no history of floods experienced the phenomenon recently. It is still too early to definitely say whether this is a freak result of climatic changes experienced by the whole world or just an aberration. What is clear, though, is that climate patterns have definitely changed and some months which previously did not see any rain are getting them now.

Floods now seem to have become an annual, or even more frequent, event across the country. The economic losses stemming from damage to property including agricultural crops, lost productivity and relief efforts are substantial. Recent events show that no part of the country is truly safe from the threat of floods. The term ‘Dry Zone’ is in danger of losing its meaning. One of the prime reasons for floods and flash floods is the filling of water retention lands both legally and illegally (mostly with political patronage) without considering the environmental impact.

Without these natural ‘reservoirs’ there is no place for the excess rainwater to flow into. This, coupled with the blockage of many storm water drainage inlets in Colombo and major cities creates instant floods that take hours to recede. It is thus very essential to retain the remaining marshy lands without allowing residential or commercial development. They should be declared ‘sanctuaries’ to prevent filling up. Strict laws must be brought in to govern these aspects and they should be implemented to the letter.

With a tsunami warning system coming into force, it will be just as vital to have a flood/storm/cyclone warning system in place. Many tend to disregard weather warnings issued by the Met Department. This is a real tragedy as their warnings are fairly accurate. Those with Internet access can look up the latest real-time forecasts, but all others must necessarily depend on the advice of the Met Department. It is thus vital that its messages, predictions and warnings are given prominence in all mainstream media. It is also advisable to educate the public on this issue so that would-be victims have adequate time to prepare evacuation plans. That could help minimise the physical damage and the mental trauma.

It is pathetic that most people do not heed warnings regarding the dangers posed by lightning. They go out into the open, keep electrical items on and worse, even adjust antennas during thunderstorms. These acts are an invitation for trouble and may be even death. The media must intensify the campaign to educate the public on lightning, which has killed several persons during the past two weeks.

Another vital aspect is educating the public on communicable diseases which may gain a foothold in the aftermath of floods. Fortunately, Sri Lanka has an exemplary record in this regard as no outbreaks were reported even after the 2004 Boxing Day tsunami. Nevertheless, the Health authorities should keep a tab on camps housing the flood victims for any outbreaks of disease.

While practically every part of the country has been affected, the focus is naturally on Colombo, the commercial capital. It is the country’s biggest city and the first port of call for visitors. It does not help when most roads in Colombo go under water after a few hours of rain. This is an issue that has to be addressed urgently. One of the causes seems to be piles of garbage and drainage holes blocked by garbage and debris. Garbage dumps are an eyesore and a health hazard. We have seen many instances of blocked drainage holes.

The regular clearing and cleaning of drains and manholes must be considered as an essential step.

Unauthorised constructions, most of which are being removed, are another factor. The Colombo Municipal Council should seriously consider implementing a flood prevention mechanism in the city.

Similar action should be taken regarding some of the other major cities facing floods, including Galle, the third most important city in the country.

Most of the cities in the hill country and even some in the low lying areas, face another threat with the onset of rains - landslides. Several landslides were reported from around the country. There is little inclination on the part of residents to leave their dwellings even when an area has been identified as being vulnerable to earthslips. This unfortunately leads to death and injury of innocent people.

The National Building Research Organisation (NBRO) must play a pro-active role in identifying landslide prone sites. It already has a project to prevent landslides in identified places in Kandy, Nuwara Eliya and Matale districts with the assistance of the Disaster Management Ministry.

This is indeed a long overdue, commendable step. Although several areas in the country have long been known as being susceptible to landslides, little action had been taken to prevent settlement and construction in such areas. The result was that there had been deaths almost every year. There have been many instances where whole families perished, buried alive. Sometime back, the authorities had to declare several towns off-limits to residents and visitors to prevent a catastrophe.

It is therefore important to conduct scientific studies to assess the vulnerability of these areas to landslides. Residents and traders should be made aware of the risks involved and where possible, they should be provided alternative land or housing. All construction activity in such areas should be stopped and banned. If existing laws are inadequate for such steps, new laws should be brought in. The NBRO and the Geological Survey Department should work closely with universities to undertake more research on this subject. Several areas of Sri Lanka have experienced tremors in the recent past and there could be more serious tremors or an earthquake in the future. As the 2004 Boxing Day tsunami demonstrated, we are no longer in a so-called Safe Zone when it comes to earthquakes and tsunamis. We should be fully prepared and equipped to deal with such disasters.

Better still, we should strive to minimise the loss of life and property in such situations by undertaking preventive measures and raising public awareness. We cannot prevent Nature’s conduct, but there are lessons to learn and measures that can be taken to face such eventualities.