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Economic Environment of Business

Disaster management sector in Sri Lanka

Introduction
Disaster management is a process to establish when any type of catastrophic events takes place. When normal operations threatens and put lives at a risk, the government of Sri Lanka planned to carry out a disaster management plan to make it possible to overcome the catastrophe and return to normal functions as early as possible. Disaster management can address issues as floods, hurricanes, fires or mass failures of utilities or rapid spread of disease. The Government of Sri Lanka during the past 2 years allocated a reasonable budget to face the unforeseen and unexpected disasters and to carry out disaster plans, such as providing food, medical care and arranging temporary housing. In the past 2 years the Sri Lanka has taken steps to resist the disaster structure to identify the weaknesses to make the process more efficient in future. Few years back our country experienced the worst disaster ever occurred, the tsunami, which had taken the lives of more than 40,000 people and isolated millions of people. It is after this occurrence that people came to know that such disasters can take place and the authorities concerned were motivated to act accordingly by bringing down and fixing alert equipments to know about the disaster ahead. In the start of 2011 the country experienced a flood crisis which lost lives of human beings and other animals and damaged the normal operations of the country. The paddy fields were gone under water, even the parliament was flooded. Therefore after observing these situation by the government they issued regulations and allocated billions of rupees to normalize the disaster environment and to act accordingly.

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The remedial actions

The special development projects were covered with disaster mitigation, erecting tsunami warning towers in selected costal areas, fixing Doppler weather radar systems, identification of high risk land slides and rock fall sites and the construction of disaster management centres. The Sri Lankan government has allocated a reasonable increase in funds for 2010 when compared with the previous year 2009.

Construction and new rules stipulation

A development can be observed in conducting disaster mitigation programmes, construction of protective structures or parapet walls by the sides of lakes and rivers, coastal protection work and a housing project for the dwellers around Beire lake in Colombo district. Proper rain water drainage systems by constructing canals and widening and excavating the existing canals will save the urban and rural areas of the country from unexpected floods. New rules stipulation is in progress to avoid the filling of drainage canals with solid waste.

Supporting Organisations
Under this disaster management program, institutions such as Urban Development Authority (UDA), Department of Meteorology, Sri Lanka Land Reclamation and Development Corporation, Department of coast conservation and Department of wild life conservation are working with the Ministry of Disaster Management to involve actively in the disaster plans and for the establishment of new rules and regulations in the country pertaining to the Disaster Management Plan. The council of disaster management A council has been established by the government of Sri Lanka to actively participate in the disaster management process and for the development of disaster management plan. The Council shall consist of 1. The President, who shall be the Chairman of the Council 2. The Prime Minister, who shall be the Vice-Chairman of the Council MCP 1605 Page 2

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3. The Leader of the Opposition 4. The Ministers in charge of the following subjects : (i) Social Welfare (ii) Rehabilitation and Reconstruction (iii) Environment (iv) Home Affairs (v) Health (vi) Science and Technology (vii) Housing (viii) Coast Conservation (ix) Irrigation (x) Power (xi) Defence (xii) Police (xiii) Finance (xiv) Land (xv) Fisheries and Aquatic Resources (xvi) Foreign Affairs (xvii) Water Supply (xviii) Highways (xix) Urban Development (xx) Education In the 2010/2011 budget the government clearly mentioned the necessity of developing the areas that are subjected to natural disasters and allocated a special fund to the Ministry of Disaster management, including the approval that if the allocation is insufficient the ministry should inform the authorities as early as possible for additional funds from the Governments special allocation. The authorities concerned can appoint a special team comprising officers who are highly knowledgeable in the practical aspects of disaster management and simulate or forecast the disaster to reach in to practicable solutions. The media can play a major role in communicating the general public in forecasting the disasters and the most possible and practical way to minimize the harmful effects, affecting lives and assets of people.

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PARLIAMENT OF THE DEMOCRATIC SOCIALIST REPUBLIC OF SRI LANKA

Published as a Supplement to Part II of the Gazette of the Democratic Socialist Republic of Sri Lanka of May 13, 2005

[Certified on 13th May, 2005] Printed on the Order of Government

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SRI LANKA DISASTER MANAGEMENT ACT, No. 13 OF 2005

Sri Lanka Disaster Management Act, No. 13 of 2005 1
2 PL 000093 5650 (02/2005)

[Certified on13th May, 2005] L. D. O. 56/90. AN ACT TO PROVIDE FORTHE ESTABLISHMENT OF THE NATIONAL COUNCIL FOR DISASTER MANAGEMENT; THE DISASTER MANAGEMENT CENTRE; THE APPOINTMENT OF TECHNICAL ADVISORY COMMITTEES; THE PREPARATION OF DISASTER MANAGEMENT PLANS; THE DECLARATION OFASTATE OF DISASTER; THEAWARD OF COMPENSATION AND FORMATTERS CONNECTED THEREWITH OR INCIDENTAL THERETO. WHEREAS human life, property and the environment of Sri Lanka is being threatened and endangered due to certain disasters taking place within the territory of Sri Lanka: AND WHEREAS it has become necessary to protect human life and property of the people and the environment of Sri Lanka from the consequence of these disasters, by effectively dealing with them from a national perspective by the preparation of a national policy and a plan and by the appointment of centrally co-ordinated committees and institutions to give effect to such policy and plan :

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