Sri Lanka - 1.1 Humanitarian Background

Yes

Drought is a common hazard in Sri Lanka, primarily during January, March, August, and September, aligning with the inter-monsoon periods. About 2/3 of the country, designated as a dry zone, experiences moderate-to-severe dry periods. The most affected districts include Kurunegala, Puttalam, Hambantota, Monaragala, and Ampara.

Drought tops the list of disaster-related events that contribute to the costs of sustaining national healthcare. The healthcare costs associated with floods and droughts are estimated at US$52.8 million annually, with 78% of the costs originating from droughts. (Sri Lanka Disaster Management Reference Handbook, 2021)

The most recent significant drought event in Sri Lanka occurred in March 2020. As of 10 May, there were over 312,000 people in 14 districts in 8 provinces affected by drought according to the Disaster Management Centre. (ReliefWeb)

No

As per UBC world seismic zoning, Sri Lanka is situated in seismic zone 0.

Yes

While not the main causes of death, epidemics still pose a threat to public health in Sri Lanka. Dengue in Sri Lanka is more common during certain seasons, with two peaks occurring during the monsoon rains in June-July and October-December. Most cases are reported during June-July, the summer monsoon. All areas of the country are dengue prone, with the highest case rate recorded in the Colombo, Gampaha, and Kalutara districts of the western province.

As of May 10th, 2023, the country had diagnosed a total of 672,241 COVID-19 cases, of which 655,353 patients had recovered from the disease, while 16,851 patients had died. (Sri Lanka Epidemiology Unit)

The following link provides the List of Notifiable Diseases:

https://www.epid.gov.lk/epid/public/index.php/list-of-notifiable-diseases/list-of-notifiable-diseases.

Yes

Sri Lanka experiences high levels of heat and humidity during both dry and rainy seasons.. With an average temperature of around 27 - 28°C and little monthly variation, Sri Lanka is one of the hottest countries globally. Altitude is the primary factor influencing temperature variations, with lower temperatures in the south-central mountain ranges.

Sri Lanka can be quite humid, with coastal regions experiencing daytime humidity levels above 70% all year and rising to 90% during monsoon seasons. In the highland areas, humidity levels typically range from 70% to 79%.

Yes

Sri Lanka is ranked #6 on the 2020 Climate Risk Index (German watch). The flood risk profile is rising due to increasing impacts and frequency of hydro meteorological hazards during monsoon seasons (GFDRR (Global Facility for Disaster Reduction and Recovery), 2017).  Flooding is one of the most prevalent disasters in Sri Lanka and the cause of most fatalities when external natural shocks occur. Major floods in Sri Lanka are associated with seasonal monsoons. Typically, during the Southwest monsoon season (May-September) the western, southern and Sabaragamuwa provinces are vulnerable to floods. During the Northeast monsoon (December-February) the eastern, northern, and north-central provinces are prone to flooding.

In 2022, multiple heavy rainfall incidents in the country caused flooding, landslides, casualties, and damage to properties from August to October. (ReliefWeb)

Yes

Sri Lanka faces several pest infestations that affect its agricultural sector. Some of the major pests that have been reported in the country include fall armyworm, rice sheath mite, coconut mite, thrips, brown plant hopper, yellow stem borer, rice leaf-folders, rice gall midge, and paddy bug.

In 2019 Anuradhapura district corn farmers were affected by an insect infestation of Fall Armyworm damaging agricultural yields. In 2020, yellow-spotted grasshoppers destroyed the crops in Mawathagama, North Western Province.

Yes

Landslides have become common during the monsoon season in Sri Lanka, especially in highland / mountainous areas where land has been heavily deforested to grow export crops like tea and rubber. More than 13,000 km2 of land in 13 administrative districts are prone to landslides, and almost 42% of the total population of the country lives in these districts. The occurrence of landslides and slope failures has increased due to extreme weather conditions caused by climate change impacts, changing monsoonal patterns, and cyclonic situations in the Indian Ocean. Despite the government's risk reduction efforts, economic damages and human losses have been on the rise since 2014. In May 2017, a significant landslide killed more than 100 people in the central part of the island.

No

Yes

The Asian Tsunami in 2004 caused widespread destruction around the coastal areas of Sri Lanka, where more than 35,000 people lost their lives, and thousands were left homeless.

Think Hazard classified the tsunami hazard in Sri Lanka as medium, indicating that the country has a greater than 10% chance of experiencing a potentially damaging tsunami within the next 50 years: https://thinkhazard.org/en/report/231-sri-lanka/TS.

No

Yes

Vulnerable to cyclones and storms due to its position near the confluence of the Arabian Sea, the Bay of Bengal and the Indian Ocean. In December 2020, cyclone Burevi made high winds, heavy rainfall, and flash floods in low lying areas in Northern and Eastern provinces. The cyclone caused severe damage in Sri Lanka, with 57 houses destroyed and 2,753 others damaged. More than 10,000 people were displaced.

No

On May 18, 2009, Colombo declared the end of the 26-year civil war between the Sri Lankan government and the Liberation Tigers of Tamil Eelam (LTTE), also known as the Tamil Tigers.

No

Yes

Seasonal natural hazards typically cause only temporary displacement.

No

Yes

The three-decade-long civil conflict in Sri Lanka left 2,061 km² of land in both the Northern and Eastern provinces widely contaminated with landmines and unexploded bombs. Over a decade after the fighting ended, Sri Lanka is edging closer to being landmine-free, with just over 13 km² of land remaining that is known to be contaminated. (ReliefWeb)

Currently, 9 organizations are involved in demining Sri Lanka's Northern and Eastern regions, including MAG (Mines Advisory Group). SLNMAC (Sri Lanka National Mine Action Centre) aimed to clear the most affected areas by 2020; however, it was projected that the clearance efforts would continue until approximately 2032. (Landmine and Cluster Munition Monitor)

Yes

The ongoing economic crisis in Sri Lanka started in 2019 and is the country's worst economic crisis since its independence in 1948. The crisis is caused by multiple factors, including tax cuts, money creation, a shift to organic farming, the 2019 Easter bombings, and the COVID-19 pandemic. It has resulted in unprecedented levels of inflation, near-depletion of foreign exchange reserves, shortages of medical supplies, and an increase in prices of basic commodities. In April 2022, Sri Lanka announced its first sovereign default in history due to the inability to pay its foreign debt obligations.

Yes

Sri Lanka has been facing a severe food crisis since 2022, due to a significant reduction in agricultural production, rising prices of fuel and basic food items. The crisis has affected an estimated 6.7 million people, with up to 70% of households reducing food consumption. The United Nations has launched a $47.2 million plan to respond to the government's request for support, and WFP has activated an emergency response to mitigate growing food insecurity.

From (May-July) and (October-December)

Excessive rains may significantly increase travel time on major roads.

From (May-July) and (October-December)

Excessive rains may damage secondary roads to the degree of impassability. Landslides caused by heavy rainfalls, although rare, can impact plantation areas.

From (May-July) and (October-December)

Rains often negatively impact the punctuality of trains with trains tracks prone to flash floods and landslides during the monsoon seasons.

From (May-July) and (October-December)

While air transport (helicopters) may be grounded during storm and bad weather, most air transport options resume quickly and can be used to transport goods in affected areas.

N/A

N/A

From (May-July) and (October-December)

Cargo ships can encounter difficulties during monsoon seasons due to the presence of high winds and rough seas.

From January to December

REPLACE THIS TEXT with brief comments that specify the: type of economic, social, or climate related seasonal impact; area or region of the country impacted; and other relevant facts. Over the monsoon season extra precautions are required to avoid water damage to commodities. During the hot season commodities can be spoiled due to high temperatures or/and high humidity.

The GoSL (Government of Sri Lanka) Food Commissioner’s Department manages the majority of storage units across the country. Across Sri Lanka, there is very limited public storage facilities to accommodate storage of goods, especially for perishable items. Private storage has been growing steadily in recent years, with specialized storage facilities (Temperature / Humidity Controlled Warehousing) available across the country.

From January to December

There are no reported seasonal effects on commodity handling activities, other than loading and offloading exercises during heavy monsoon rains, which can persist for two to three days uninterrupted.

Responsible to communicate and share information with foreign embassies, UN, and international NGOs. Confirmation of projects under the external budget/aid, Facilitate/ issue of emergency visas.

The Ministry of Defense has oversight of the Internal Security, Home Affairs and Disaster Management State Ministry. The State Ministry oversees its four institutions: All District and Divisional Secretariats, Disaster Management Centre (DMC), Department of Meteorology, National Building Research Organization (NBRO) and the National Disaster Relief Services Centre (NDRSC). 

The Ministry of Defense and the Armed Forces (Army, Navy and Air Force) perform an integral role in disaster management and response: by maintaining security, search and rescue, evacuation of victims, setup of shelters for IDPs (internally displaced persons), dead body management, support of emergency medical care, debris removal and clearing of roads and distribution of relief goods by road, water and air. 

Focal point of the security forces is permanently deployed at DMC for emergency coordination. 

This is an Apex body for the disaster management in Sri Lanka which take policy decisions on disaster management and oversees implementation of the 2005 Disaster Management Act.

DMC is a coordination and implementation arm for the national council 

(Emergency coordination at national and Sub-national levels  

72hr needs assessment & review of eligible beneficiaries, strategic contingency planning, coordination of Relief, Monitoring & Evaluation). Main focal point of the HCT during emergencies.

Weather Forecasting and aviation forecast for international and domestic flight, provide early warning for weather related hazards and tsunami early warning conduct research on weather, climate and climate change.

Planning and implementation of relief management activities (Event specific contingency planning with local level stakeholders, Identification of beneficiaries, disaster response to populations affected by disaster)

NBRO is the agency providing advice and mapping on” landslide risk management” through multiple activities such as conduct awareness, DRR activities, research and early warning.

Responsibilities in relation to macro-economic policies, annual budget and Appropriation Acts, finance and insurance activities, international financial cooperation and directing social security and economic development activities.

This department engaged on social safety net which addresses Alleviate poverty, ensure food security at the household level, promote saving habits among low-income family, ensure social equality, to provide social security to poor and micro financing 

The PMS (Project Management System) provides coordination with all line agencies, donors, World Food Programme, partners and related stake holders on national policies, decisions of the government on policy changes, project approvals, funds transfers, reports and ensure that the projects are implemented according to the LOU (Letter of Understanding).

This ministry support during post disaster to provide input subsidies to the affected farmers. 

Maintain rice buffer stocks; ensure the availability of rice at the market; effective co-ordination with the stakeholders for better management of department resources; create a pest free grain food store environment.

Providing policy guidance to health, hygienic, medicine treatment, establish special clinics through the Department of Health Services based on demand, ensuring physical, mental, social wellness and distribution of nutritious supplements, conduct health awareness, health hazard preventive measures etc. Monitoring the food quality.

Provide policy guidance to use the school infra structure during the emergencies.

Based on the scale of emergency/disaster, the ministry providing policy guidance in relation to the subject of Foreign, implementation of projects under the external budget/aid, Facilitate for issue of visas etc.

District and divisional coordination and take lead role in implementation of the policy guidance provided by the Government.