Fault Lines: precarious lives in Spring Valley’s estates
Spring Valley is one of the coldest places in the Uva Province. Located in the Hali Ela administrative division close to the foot of the Namunukula mountains, this hilly terrain, which is…
Disaster Management
The Waiting Earth: Communities and cultivators affected by Sri Lanka’s drought
At the time of writing, 488,277 families and 1,665,961 individuals are affected by the on-going drought in Sri Lanka. The country’s rice harvest has been halved, the worst on record in 40…
Role of electronic media during natural disasters
The media have a significant role to play in times of natural disasters in terms of responsible and ethical coverage. However, electronic media coverage of the floods and landslides in some parts…
A Tale of Incompetence – RTI Reveals CMC Inaction Leading Up To Meethotamulla Tragedy
On April 14, 2017 the garbage dump in Meethotamulla collapsed, killing 32 people. These deaths could have been avoided. That they could not, points to a systematic failure of the State to…
#FloodSL: Key Accounts to Follow
Sri Lanka is experiencing flooding after what is said to be the most torrential rains since 2003. Despite being beset with heavy flooding in 2016 as well, the country was still unprepared for this…
Sri Lanka Floods 2017: Sharing the Blame
Once again Sri Lanka is in the grip of a natural disaster. Thousands have been displaced and hundreds killed by the floods and landslides. The tragedy is that this time the rains…
Political Garbage
The Meethotamulla tragedy has brought back the politics of garbage to every screen, newspaper and radio. Street protests are happening around every garbage dump. Modern day popular communication technologies have taken over…
Meethotamulla: A Preventable Tragedy
In 2012, I visited Madampitiya to help with research for a friend’s thesis. The subject was the spread of disease in this area, situated close to a garbage dump. The tiny lanes…
Monitoring the Ongoing Drought in Sri Lanka
Drought has followed the floods in mid-May in Sri Lanka, affecting 625,000 people directly along with agriculture, water supply, irrigation and nature. Here, we quantify this drought and show that it (a)…
Welcome Back, Uncle
After Civil War and Tsunami, floods again, the worst in 25 years, which recalls more or less the war’s length, and the Tsunami won’t return for another hundred. Where will we molder…
In the Aftermath of Floods: Reflections on Flood Aid and Youth-led Mobilization in Colombo
Last weekend was Vesak, but the streets of Colombo were uncharacteristically quiet. In place of the usual crowds pouring out onto the streets to view the lanterns, and the rambunctious dansals distributing…
The Floods: An Update
Gripped by a desire to help out our fellow Sri Lankans, we’ve cooked, delivered, run supplies by the truckload and picked clean the shelves of our supermarkets over the past few days.…
Hats Off To Our WhatsApp Warriors
Featured image courtesy the Star The floods in Sri Lanka have brought out the best in social media. Whatsapp and Facebook were used extensively to save lives and mobilise relief. An unprecedented…
Sri Lanka Floods 2016: Avoiding the Mistakes of 2004
Featured image courtesy SBS Sri Lanka is experiencing its worst natural disaster since, arguably, the tsunami. Thousands have been displaced and hundreds killed by the floods and landslides caused by the unprecedented…
Meeriyabedda: One year on
On October 29, 2014, at 7:30 am, a landslide hit Meeriyabedda, Haldummulla in the Badulla district. The landslide was one of the worst natural disasters recorded in recent times. Although 12 bodies…
