Columns

The catastrophic weather events currently gripping Sri Lanka—a stark reminder of the island’s vulnerability to the whims of nature and the accelerating threat of climate change—have once again tested the very foundations of the nation. Yet, in the face of this immediate crisis, a familiar and profoundly uplifting narrative has emerged: the innate resilience and boundless compassion of the Sri Lankan people. Time and again, from the devastating tsunami of 2004 to recurring flood and landslide cycles, disaster has unfailingly brought out the very best in the collective human spirit of the people.  

The history of natural calamities in Sri Lanka offers a compelling comparison, highlighting both the sheer scale of shock events and the enduring, relentless nature of climate-linked disasters.

Despite their differences, both the tsunami of 2004 and the recurrent floods have triggered a uniform response from the public: an immediate and non-discriminatory outpouring of aid. The sheer scale of the tsunami’s devastation created a shared national trauma that transcended ethnic and religious divides, uniting Sinhalese, Tamil, and Muslim communities in a common cause of rescue and rebuilding. Similarly, the perennial flooding of major river basins like the Kelani Ganga, Kalu Ganga, and Nilwala Ganga sees neighbours, friends, and strangers voluntarily stretching out, irrespective of their own financial situations, to assist those who have lost everything. These acts—whether providing dry rations, opening homes as temporary shelters, or joining rescue efforts—underscore the fundamental humanitarian values woven into the fabric of the Sri Lankan nation.

The response to every major calamity is a powerful reflection of the nation’s core values. In Sri Lanka, this response is a symphony of coordinated efforts and spontaneous, selfless action.

The Sri Lanka Army, Navy, Air Force and Police have consistently been the first and most dependable first responders. Their institutional capacity, equipment (boats, helicopters), and presence across the country make them pivotal in search, of rescue, and evacuation operations. Likewise, local government officials, including District Secretaries and Grama Niladharis, form the backbone of the immediate relief chain, coordinating evacuation centres and needs assessments, often working tirelessly in submerged or high-risk conditions.

The most heartening aspect remains the spontaneous, grassroots mobilisation. Religious institutions, non-governmental organisations (NGOs), youth groups, and countless individual volunteers act as a vital bridge between state aid and the affected. They collect and distribute supplies, offer psychological support, and manage local relief camps.

While the current weather intensity may be attributed to a global pattern of climate change—with Sri Lanka already ranked among the countries most affected by extreme weather events—the argument for greater State responsibility is undeniable.

The tragic truth is that while authorities may not be able to prevent the raw intensity of extreme rainfall, the impact could have been significantly minimised. The regular, predictable flooding of known basins—Kelani Ganga, Kalu Ganga, Gin Ganga, and Nilwala Ganga—has been the subject of numerous studies and proposed mitigation schemes for decades.

Projects like major flood retention reservoirs or comprehensive river training works, have been delayed, shelved, or insufficiently funded due to political and economic reasons. In the Kelani basin, the inadequacy of the drainage system and flow hindrances caused by unplanned development remain persistent issues.

Encroachment on river reservations, filling of wetlands, and uncontrolled urbanisation in flood-prone marshy areas, particularly around Colombo, destroy natural flood retention capacity, making minor rainfall events disproportionately severe.

While there has been talk of a long-term approach to disaster risk management, the lack of continuous, comprehensive action plans and adequate financing mechanisms means that the country remains largely reactive. The estimated average annual loss from floods alone is considerable, but preventive investment has not kept pace with the growing risk.

Had there been sufficient political will and sustained capital expenditure to implement these long-identified flood prevention and management schemes, the current human and economic toll would have been drastically reduced. The focus must shift from merely responding to disasters to proactively mitigating the known, regular risks.

The current disaster strikes at a particularly fragile moment for Sri Lanka, which is still navigating the complex process of economic recovery and debt restructuring following a severe financial crisis. The impact is multilayered and disproportionately affects the poor and marginalised.

Widespread crop destruction, especially in key agricultural areas, will inevitably lead to an immediate and potentially prolonged increase in the prices of essential commodities like rice and vegetables, worsening food insecurity and inflation. The disruption of agricultural livelihoods pushes farmers into deeper cycles of debt and poverty.

The government will face an enormous, unplanned expenditure burden for immediate relief, compensation, and the reconstruction of damaged infrastructure (roads, bridges, public buildings). This increased expenditure directly threatens the government’s ability to maintain fiscal discipline, which is a key condition of the International Monetary Fund (IMF) Extended Finance Facility (EFF). This could create fresh challenges to economic management and potentially delay the desired economic growth of the country.

The poor often reside in the most vulnerable, low-lying, and hazard-exposed areas. Loss of precarious housing, displacement into crowded relief camps, and the resulting public health risks (waterborne diseases, vector-borne illnesses) compound their suffering.

This disaster is layered upon the existing vulnerabilities of high inflation and poverty exacerbated by the economic crisis. The loss of a season’s income or damage to tools/equipment is an existential threat to households already struggling to meet minimum calorie intake requirements.

In the coming weeks and months, the government must adopt a two-pronged strategy focusing on immediate, humanitarian needs and crucial, long-term resilience building.

Firstly it has to move beyond basic dry rations to implement swift, unconditional cash transfers to the most affected, especially those who rely on daily wages or lost agricultural produce. This could be integrated with existing social safety net programmes (like Aswesuma) to ensure rapid and equitable disbursement.

It must also ensure public health measures in and around relief camps to prevent the outbreak of diseases and also launch fast-track programmes for the provision of building materials and financial support for the rebuilding of essential assets and resumption of livelihoods.

Secondly the government mustdedicate political and financial capital to the immediate implementation of long-stalled structural flood mitigation projects such as dry dams, river dredging, and construction of flood bunds.

Strict enforcement of regulations against encroachment and development in demarcated flood retention areas and wetlands, especially in highly urbanised areas must be implemented. Conservation of natural flood basins is also crucial.

The current weather-imposed crisis in Sri Lanka is a painful reminder that while the spirit of the people remains unbroken, the system designed to protect them has repeatedly fallen short. The boundless compassion displayed by the public provides the moral strength for recovery. Now, it is the State’s duty to match that spirit with strategic foresight and unwavering action, transforming predictable risk into preventable crisis, and safeguarding the nation against the accelerating challenges of a changing climate.

(javidyusuf@gmail.com).