News
Early action saved many lives from landslides, says DMC
The timely evacuation of people saved hundreds of lives in areas where landslides occurred during torrential rains in recent months, Disaster Management Centre (DMC) Director General Major General (Retd.) Sudantha Ranasinghe told the Sunday Times.
In addition, more than 15,000 people have been identified as living in danger zones, but plans to relocate them are being hampered due to the prevailing economic situation, he said.
“However, so far, we have completed nearly 3000 houses, and 2000 more are under construction, in spite of financial difficulties,” he said, adding that a 750-square-foot house now costs about Rs 2.3 million to build.
He said taking preventive measures based on identifying landslide signs is the most important mechanism the DMC relies on. “We know the areas that are prone to landslides, and we have educated the people and conducted awareness programmes on how to look out for landslide signs. The people could then inform the relevant authorities, and we are able to help them,” he explained.
The districts of Kegalle, Matara, and Badulla were the most vulnerable to landslides during inclement weather in the past five months, according to a report by the National Building Research Organisation (NBRO). More than 300 places were identified as landslide-prone areas in Matara and Kegalle.
Five people died in Ratnapura due to landslides.
Lives can be protected by issuing early warnings based on monitoring rainfall in real time, analysing data, and identifying vulnerable areas, Mahesh Somaratne of the NBRO said.
Recent landslide in Passara, Waradola: Lives were saved due to timely action. Pix by Prasad Rukmal
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