When it rains

Wednesday, 10 November 2021 01:09 - - {{hitsCtrl.values.hits}}

The ongoing disaster that is COVID-19 has had the dual effect of making us as a society collectively more aware of our own mortality, while at the same time reducing in our eyes the significance of other non-COVID-related calamities.

After all, it was only in 2014 that the Koslanda landslide was front page news, while in the years that followed environmental disasters have become practically annual events. Yet, it seems we’ve been slower to clock on to the threats brought on by the inclement weather over the past week.

Floods and landslides triggered by torrential rain across the country this week have seen over 800 people affected, with the number likely to increase over the coming days. The latest numbers, as of writing, show 13 districts affected, six fatalities, and nearly 250 families impacted. Yesterday, 10 districts were issued early warnings for landslides. With the Government still coming to terms with keeping COVID infections down – they have been seen rising in recent days – the floods have just compounded matters.

Indeed, the COVID-19 outbreak adds a complex set of challenges on top of traditional resource constraints that will increase pressure on the disaster management system. Even relatively simple things like providing temporary shelter becomes complicated due to COVID-19 mitigation measures.

In addition, families already made vulnerable by the lack of livelihoods during the recent curfews could find it harder to recover from the double disasters. Given Sri Lanka’s high levels of near-poor, repeated disasters can push more and more families under the poverty line and make it harder for them and the next generation get back above the line. Already, there are many concerns about layoffs and daily wage earners struggling to survive. A natural disaster is among the worst things that could happen to these people at the best of times, but during a pandemic it takes a particularly grim toll.

There is also the matter of the potential spread of dengue in the country, with floods commonly a rampant breeding ground for dengue mosquitos; dengue may not have been as prevalent as COVID-19, even at its worst, yet it is equally deadly and cannot be ignored. Now add to this the fact that some 70% of the student population has just begun heading back to school, and a true recipe for disaster begins to take form.

In the immediate term, the Government must not take their eye off the proverbial ball. Along with COVID prevention measures, now dengue prevention measures must also be strictly enforced.

In the past, intense media coverage failed to ignite any significant citizen interest in stemming the disease. There were no calls from the public at large for well-funded and long-term sustained policy measures that reached deep into all parts of the country.

That said, the continuing torrential rain mixed with a potential COVID resurgence and dengue emergence, means that even if citizens may not take the threat as seriously as they should, then the responsibility falls to the Government to take up that burden and ensure its people are kept safe.