Island nations: Challenges to disaster management

DISASTER MANAGEMENT MECHANISM ANDCHALLENGES AS AN ISLAND NATION

CHAPTER ONE

INTRODUCTION

INTRODUCTION

1. Disaster can appear as a result of natural incidents of the earth system, strange factors of outsourced natural systems and manmade incidents. A natural disaster affects to human life with physical damages, property destructions and life threats. These natural disasters appear with the high influence of natural incidents like heavy rains, earthquakes, droughts and strong winds etc. while manmade disaster will include riots, war, strikes, fire, chemical spillage and environmental contamination, pollution and so on. These disasters related risk is tragic and people need to control the risk with the previous experiences. People and built environments need to protect from these hazards and therefore people have developed emergency management or disaster management mechanisms to reduce the risk of these disasters.

Figure i : Geographical Situation of Sri Lanka

2. Sri Lanka is a natural disaster hotspot as it is located in the Indian Ocean and gets unpredictable climatic conditions due to Bay of Bengal and is a small island in the Indian Ocean where Tsunami threats are coming from the eastern deep seas. It also has different ecological zones where central mountainous area has become vulnerable for landslides due to unplanned constructions, deforestation and unsystematic agricultural practices. Also, 1,340 km long coastal line in the Indian Ocean has become vulnerable point for Tsunami after it affected by Tsunami on 26, December 2004. Furthermore there are no other lands or islands but deep see below the south of island.

3. Sri Lanka has faced monsoonal floods, drought incidents, landslides and cyclone risks with the weather and climate related changes around the country. After affected by the Tsunami disaster in 2004, the government developed disaster management mechanism under the specialized cabinet ministry as Ministry of Disaster Management. This disaster management process covers the entire island with the support of Department of Meteorology, District and Divisional Secretariats, military services and Disaster Management Center mechanism.

4. There were no such severe disasters in Sri Lanka before 1850 but some natural disasters as floods and cyclones time to time due to changes in global climatic conditions. After the industrial revolution the global climatic condition started which made the increase of natural disasters all over the word due to pollution and global warming. Sri Lanka also evidenced increasing threats from natural disasters other than the man-made disasters like terrorist activities, fires, forest fires, poisoning and excessive use of agrochemicals and contaminating the water and soil.

5. Sri Lanka has faced constant disaster incidents which appear as a result of climate and weather changes. This influence makes high risk to entire nation because Sri Lanka is a small island in Indian oceanic region and this island situated closer to specific geographical area. The Bay of Bengal, sea currents systems and the natural wind pattern in the Bay of Bengal maintains the annual rainfall and wind system. Therefore Sri Lanka has to face specific challenges to protect people and properties from natural disasters where weather forecast is also little difficult due to the geographical location.

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Figure ii : Population Distribution in Sri Lanka

Source: Department of Census and Statistics, 2012

6.Sri Lankans need to identify the natural disaster risk as an island nation because natural waterways, irrigation systems and entire life pattern of the people have managed with the monsoonal wind patterns. If Sri Lankans face high rainfall or low rainfall under the expected rainy seasons they should have to face monsoonal floods or drought incidents, which will lead to many other disasters such as landslides, storms, spreading of communicable diseases.

7.Though the threats of natural and manmade disasters are increasing and a disaster management mechanism in place, it is doubtful if those systems and plans are capable enough to face such unplanned events.

PROBLEM STATEMENT

8.Though Sri Lanka is a small island in the Indian Ocean having two monsoons is affected by weather related natural hazards. It experiences floods mainly due to monsoonal rain or due to low pressure systems and droughts due to delays in monsoonal rains. She is also susceptible to hazards such as landslides, lightning strikes, coastal erosion, Tsunami, epidemics and effects of environmental pollution.

Figure iii : People Affected by Different Hazards during 1974 – 2004

Source: Ministry of Disaster Management

9.Though the case is as such the island nation did not have a specific mechanism and a specialized institution to manage this kind of tragedies and situations in the history. Past experience on flood and drought, Chronic Kidney Disease (CKDu) incidents in Polonnaruwa and 3 provinces, riots in Weliweriya due to water pollution and many such incidents were unable to prove the effectiveness and the efficiency of the disaster management system. As an island nation Sri Lanka needs specific disaster management process to rescue people from sudden disaster incidents but the existing process unable to identify the level of risk and the action plans specific to the country.

OBJECTIVES OF THE STUDY

10.The aim of this study focuses the natural disaster threats with sudden weather changes and challenges as an island nation under the existing national disaster mechanism.

1. Study the national disaster management framework and identify the effectiveness of this mechanism with strange disasters incidents under the sudden weather changes.

2. Find the applicability of existing mechanism to face sudden disaster incidents which related to the weather and climate.

3. Guide the natural disaster threat as an island nation and issues of existing national disaster management plan.

4. Investigate the relationships with natural disaster risks, future threat as an island nation and national disaster management plan.

5. Implement a suitable framework to upgrade the national disaster management mechanism to enhance the performances of disaster management process with sudden disaster incidents.

RESEARCH QUESTION

11.How the national disaster management policy is be to upgraded to manage the emergencies and improve the Disaster Management Centers performances?

a.What are the objectives of existing national disaster management plan?

b.What are the lapses in emergency risk assessment and solutions for those?

c.What are the areas to be developed in national disaster management policy?

d.What are the applicable or alternative solutions to manage sudden disaster incidents?

e.Why Sri Lanka needs to concern about the island nation factor for disaster management?

SIGNIFICANCE OF THE STUDY

12.Sri Lanka has consisted with comprehensive national disaster management mechanism and that has functioned under the special government ministry and departments. But this mechanism has failed many occasions in recent past with the sudden disaster incidents. As it is the case the disaster management system need to be reviewed and revised to face any kind of natural disaster threat. As well global warming, sea level rising and new earth plate in Indian Oceanic region can gain additional natural disaster risk to the Sri Lanka. Therefore this renovation need to concern the geographical fact as an island nation when renovate the existing disaster management mechanism.

SCOPE AND LIMITATIONS OF THE STUDY

13.National Disaster management mechanism has faced some issues with sudden disaster threats in the past decade but this process has not been implemented to achieve successful results of reducing the risk of sudden disasters threats and to reduce the damages. The researcher identifies a specific area of the national disaster management as the low concentration about the geographical fact as an island nation. The scope of the study selects the natural disaster management effort as an island nation.

14.This study conducts under limited timeframe and the limited personal financial capacity of the researcher. Further such study needs historical data facts about natural disasters, natural wind system details, rainfall, cyclone, landslides and drought etc. Therefore this study use literature to guide historical data and filed study conducts to collect specialists’ idea.

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