Preventable disasters

Sri Lanka has experienced another period of very bad weather. This happens year in year out and the same places are affected adversely. The National Buildings and Research Organisation (NBRO) issues warnings to people residing in areas vulnerable to landslides to evacuate when the adverse rainy weather is on. But, after the lapse of one week, as usually happens in Sri Lanka, everything is forgotten.

Every year when it rains heavily Baddegama, Ratnapura and low-lying areas around the Kelani Ganga. This is so within the city of Colombo, too. We have a Disaster Management Unit, and the Irrigation Department has a good number of engineers, who can work out some plan to avert this flooding to help the people who usually get affected adversely, not to undergo the hardships that they have to. It is noticed that most of these people affected are not well to do people, and the losses are sometimes irreplaceable; as they have acquired them not with ill-gotten money but by hard work, unlike in the case of some of the rich people. From what we have experienced the Disaster Management Unit seems to be a disaster!

Another thing that we notice during periods of heavy rain is that a large volume of water is released from the reservoirs by opening numbers of sluice gates. The water thus released flows down to the sea unutilised. Sometimes, such a lot of water gushes out that people living close to the area could face inundation of their property. If there is a cascading system of reservoirs downstream, this water too could be conserved and utilized for cultivation purposes.

It is the Disaster Management Unit that should take the initiative to get something done to alleviate the poor people who face these threats every year. As in the other places of the country, even in the city of Colombo, it has been the same roads that get inundated with such rains every year. And absolutely nothing has been done to prevent such disasters.

The Disaster Management Unit should get together with the NBRO and the engineers of the Department of Irrigation to solve this problem once and for all.

HM NISSANKA

WARAKAULLE