News
Focus on community-led disaster readiness as country marks global day
View(s):By Nidarshani Wickramasinghe
The government will amend the Disaster Management Act and launch a national sensitisation programme in selected high-risk districts to strengthen the country’s disaster preparedness.
In comments marking tomorrow’s International Day for Disaster Risk Reduction, Deputy Defence Minister Major General (Retired) Aruna Jayasekara told the Sunday Times that the measures were aimed at strengthening the country’s resilience and readiness.
“When the National Council for Disaster Management convened recently—its first meeting in seven years under President Anura Kumara Dissanayake—it resolved to advance key steps such as amending the Disaster Management Act and launching a national-level awareness programme for communities in disaster-prone areas. We believe these measures will significantly strengthen Sri Lanka’s disaster management framework,” he said.
Manjula Karunarathne
The Global Disaster Risk Reduction Day is observed tomorrow under the theme ‘Fund Resilience, Not Disaster’. The day raises awareness of growing disaster risks—both in Sri Lanka and globally—and the significant social, environmental, and economic burdens associated with disasters.
Low-capacity, disaster-prone nations are at a greater risk when disaster strikes, subjecting their populations to disproportionate measures of risk. While disaster escalation is a pattern observed throughout the world, the Global North and the Global South are reported to experience these risks in profoundly different ways, experts say.
In an interview with the Sunday Times, Ruhuna University’s senior geography lecturer and Disaster Management Centre Committee member Manjula Karunarathne emphasised the need to rethink strategies towards disaster preparedness. He said the previous government’s proposal to establish a university for climate change studies was a worthwhile initiative, particularly for nations like Sri Lanka, a tropical island nation that shares similar climate-related threats with many Global South nations.
“Sri Lanka must bring its acute vulnerabilities to the international stage, drawing global attention to our plight. Anthropogenic climate change has intensified disaster conditions that hit us with increasing severity. Although not all countries are equally guilty for the climate crisis, its worst impacts hit hard those least responsible. That is why an institution dedicated to climate change studies could be invaluable for our country,” he said.
Drawing attention to Sri Lanka’s weak disaster preparedness history, Mr Karunarathne noted that serious efforts only began after the 2004 tsunami. However, over time, those initiatives appear to have lost momentum.
“Globally, the discussion is shifting away from reactive responses to proactive steps to deal with catastrophes and confine their impact. Instead of politicising catastrophes, the focus has to be on strengthening institutions and empowering communities. Sri Lanka must move with speed along this path,” he emphasised.
Highlighting the importance of anticipatory action in disaster management, the senior lecturer pointed to recent collaborative initiatives at the Lower Nilwala Basin, where communities regularly faced flooding. Anticipatory approaches call for working with predictions and information prior to hazards so that the impact could be minimised.
These projects proved that well-organised community-based efforts could play an important role in disaster preparedness. The leadership role of women in such projects was significant. Supported by non-governmental organisations, these community-based committees are equipped and trained to deal with disasters in collaboration with government offices.
“The experience in the Nilwala Basin confirms that communities can be prepared and made resilient to meet disasters confidently. Grassroots disaster preparedness is not only possible but also highly effective. Now we have to develop more innovative and effective solutions by engaging communities in close partnership. We cannot wait any further for this preparedness,” Mr Karunarathne said.
With Sri Lanka joining the rest of the world to mark International Day for Disaster Risk Reduction, the message is obvious: investment must be redirected from dealing with disasters after they have struck to building resilience prior to them happening.
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