Floods:
The main causes for
the frequent occurrence of floods are heavy
seasonal rainfall, deforestation, lack of flood
protection schemes, unplanned development activities,
etc.
Floods are an annual occurrence and are concentrated
in the river basin in the southwestern region
of the country bringing along with it tremendous
damage to life and livestock.
Landslides:
Mainly occurring in
the hilly regions of central Sri Lanka particularly
in the Nuwara Eliya and Badulla districts and
to some extent in the Kalytara, Matale, Kegalle
and the Ratnapura district.
Droughts:
The country has experienced
droughts of varying duration and impact with
changing weather patterns, populations, deforestation
and the resultant adverse effects on the ecological
balance. They follow an irregular pattern and
are mostly unpredictable. The areas vulnerable
to droughts are in the northern, northeastern
and southern provinces.
Cyclones:
Sri Lanka lies in the
periphery of the tropical cyclone belt; therefore
the impact of the cyclones is in comparison
to other island nations less severe.
Source:
"Disaster and disaster preparedness mechanisms
in the Sri Lanka", paper prepared by ADPC
with the intervention of Christie Silva.
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