Experts scrutinise Lanka’s disaster preparedness
With world scientists warning of more and bigger earthquakes next year in South Asia and elsewhere owing to the variations in the earth’s rotation, Sri Lanka’s disaster preparedness and inadequacies were discussed at a timely symposium in Colombo on Wednesday.
Experts from Japan, Indonesia, the Philippines and Bangladesh joined their Sri Lankan counterparts to share their experiences in and thoughts on disaster preparedness, mitigation, management and the Asian nations’ ability to rise and rebuild in the aftermath of natural or man-made calamities.
The focus of the international symposium organised by the AsiaPacific Alliance for Disaster Management (A-PAD SL) was on “Urban Resilience: Building competitive cities amidst disasters.”
To minimise the damage arising out of disasters, the experts called for increased cooperation, regular dialogue and concrete partnerships between civil society, the government, the private sector, scientists, Information Technology experts, the media and the military.
The unpredictability of disasters such as earthquakes, they pointed out, should keep the governments in a state of preparedness and keep the search on for innovative solutions to prevent, mitigate and manage disasters.
The Sri Lankan government’s new “blue- green” budget proposals to deal with the challenges of climate change came in for much praise from several speakers.
They also hailed the work of Sri Lanka’s Disaster Management Centre in responding to disasters and finding solutions with regard to disaster prevention and mitigation.
Disaster Management Minister Anura Priyadarshana Yapa told the symposium that Sri Lanka was urbanising rapidly and the urban resilience in times of disasters was a major challenge. Failure to invest in city resilience would threaten the progress made with economic growth, he said, urging that the focus should be not only on postdisaster needs, but also on underlying causes of vulnerabilities and enhancing preparedness.
National Policies and Economic Affairs Deputy Minister Harsha se Silva said the Government was committed to pursue an environment- friendly development plan and this policy had been given its due recognition in the government’s Green- Blue budget and vision 2025 plan. The 2016 floods, the Meethotamulla g a r b a g e mountain disaster and regular landslides f i g u re d prominently in speeches and during discussions.
Deputy Minister de Silva said the Government was paying attention to flood control mechanisms such as building large reservoirs upstream to control the flow of Kelani River waters to low-lying areas during heavy rains.
He said that eliminating corruption in politics could go a long way in disaster mitigation. Corrupt politicians at local council levels often intervene to clear the path for building houses in flood retention areas and their action resulted in loss of lives and damage to property during floods and landslides.
The deputy minister called for disincentivisation measures to prevent building construction near river banks and other disaster-prone areas.
He said that one such disincentivisation measure could be an introduction of an insurance scheme on the lines of motor insurance policies with the premium being raised according to the increase in the risk level.
On the garbage crisis, Mr de Silva said the Government took two major decisions and they had, to a great extent, produced results. The s e g re g at i o n o f garba g e into biodegradable and non- biodegradable garbage was a clear win, while the Aruwakkalu garbage dumping site project was also moving smoothly.
During the panel discussion, Megapolis Master Plan Project Director Lakshman Jayasekera drawing attention to deputy minister’s comments said a project was worked out after an extensive study to relocate people and industries vulnerable to floods in safer areas. But the project was called off due to want of funds with international donor agencies declining to commit funds because they were now sensitive to issues related to relocation.
APAD Country Director Firzan Hashim said the APAD was an interlocutor to facilitate the partnership between the state and the private sector in disaster management activities.
APAD’s Chief Executive Officer Kensuke Onishi from Japan said Sri Lanka’s geographic location has made it an important country in global efforts to respond to disasters. He said the APAD would set up a base in Sri Lanka to cover a vast area including West Asia, South Asia and countries like Myanmar.
This week, scientists from the University of Colorado in Boulder and the University of Montana said there would be increased seismic activity next year due to the fluctuation or the slowness of the Earth’s rotation. But they also said there was no real way to scientifically predict the likelihood of earthquakes taking place.