With the onset of the rainy season, our tropical island is back in limbo with the public and authorities scrambling to find higher ground, no pun intended. According to reports, given the onslaught triggered by cyclonic weather changes in the Bay of Bengal and a low pressure system forming off the East coast of the island, four citizens have lost their lives in the ensuing floods and landslides, six more (including children) are missing as of this paper going to print, and nearly eleven thousand displaced, seeking shelter, Sri Lanka has been once again given a rude wakeup call by mother nature. If this all sounds like dejavu, it is. During May and June of this year, Sri Lanka went through a similar spell, with flash flooding, landslides, coastal erosion, massive trees falling on houses and on to streets.

This cycle of weather-related chaos visits Sri Lankans each year, and often it disproportionately impacts the vulnerable and poor communities of the island. Just a few months earlier, an ongoing heat wave, and the drought in some parts of the island was the talking point. However, today we have returned to the flooding, landslides, and trees uprooting due to heavy winds. Each year governments in power claim to do more to reduce or remove the risk of injury, death, disruption and loss of crops, and the potential for property damage. However, Sri Lanka finds itself back at square one each time. With a new Government at the helm, one hopes there will be a change in status, at least in terms of better disaster mitigation, resilience building and preparedness.

Since climate change is back as a ‘hot’ topic, and with the realisation that moving forward the frequency of climate-related disruptions to Sri Lanka will likely to increase, making climate and disaster resilience a focus area for the island nation is not only prudent, but vital to maintain economic and social stability. ‘Extreme weather events’ are happening more frequently, and it is high time Sri Lanka acted to build resilience.

However, Sri Lanka is all talk, and little action when it comes to preparing for such events and building resilience. Unlike many countries, Sri Lanka is far behind in accurate weather predictions. Had the island nation had the right technology and expertise, the heavy rain could have been predicted and flood risk modelled and mapped for early warning. Last weekend Sri Lanka’s Meteorological Department complained that they do not have the necessary ‘Doppler radar’. Now there is an outcry about why the department is not properly equipped. However, many forget that the National Audit Office (NAO), has over the years reported how the Met Department squandered nearly Rs. 400 million in an attempt to install one, with World Meteorological Organisation (WMO) collaboration, which ended in a costly disaster, and waste. Then in 2017, Sri Lanka turned to Japan and obtained funding for two more Doppler radars. However, the NAO reported in its 2018 annual report, that the two new Doppler radars, for which agreements were signed with the Japan International Cooperation Agency (JICA) in June 2017, have not been set up either.

This week when the armed forces were called into action, as they always are during a crisis, shortcoming in their kit showed. It is reliably learnt that some of the front line units which responded to the flood situation, were under equipped with tactical communication systems (radios), which are invaluable for quick and effective coordination, especially as many areas which are rain drenched and flood hit, lose terrestrial mobile phone grid connectivity. Further, the long-standing capacity gap in equipping the Air Force with ‘all weather and night operational’ helicopters, significantly handicaps search and rescue efforts. The Army, who bravely repurposes their aging armoured vehicles with amphibious capability for flood rescue, often lack the boats and life jackets to go along with the needs on the ground.  The new Government should take a serious look at the island's preparedness and response capacity and address the glaring gaps which exist.

The fact is that, Sri Lanka doesn’t have a robust national programme to mitigate the social and economic damages from the recurring events, and each year, the lives of many Sri Lankans are lost to such tragedies. While climate-related damages are not completely preventable, they can be managed to an extent. Given Sri Lanka’s fragile state, and with a focus on economic recovery, the island nation can ill afford not to take climate resilience and extreme weather events seriously. If Sri Lanka wants to rebuild itself, it must take climate resilience, weather events and disaster mitigation and response more seriously.