Sri Lanka Experiences Deadly Floods and Landslides 

09-11-2021 

Judit Kolbe 

Sri Lanka and Human Rights Researcher,

Global Human Rights Defence.

Since the downpouring rains started in Sri Lanka at the end of October, they have created deadly floods which caused the death of five people, the disappearance of two other persons and left several individuals injured (The Straits Times, 2021). While around half of Sri Lanka’s districts have already been hit by floods, more rain is expected in the coming days; weather warnings have been issued accordingly (The Straits Times, 2021). Furthermore, three people were killed in a landslide in Rambukkana, Sri Lanka, on the 9th of November 2021  (Colombo Gazette, 2021). 

These natural disasters happened concurrently with the United Nations Climate Change Conference (COP26) in Glasgow, Scotland, last week, where Sri Lanka’s President Gotabaya Rajapaksa proclaimed that, ‘as a developing tropical island nation (...) Sri Lanka is deeply aware of the impacts of climate change, and the government places sustainability at the centre of Sri Lanka’s national policy framework (Wijesingha, J., 2021). Yet, others claim that there is evidence to the contrary and the government under President Rajapaksa places profits by businesses over Sri Lanka’s environment (Wijesingha, J., 2021). 

Sri Lanka has been named in a World Bank report as especially vulnerable to climate change due to political, geographic and social factors, with its impacts expected to aggravate poverty and inequality in the country (Selvahcandran, J., 2021). It is thus crucial that Sri Lanka’s government takes action in adopting more sustainable policies and protecting the environment (Wijesingha, J., 2021).

Sources and further reading: 

Colombo Gazette (2021, November 09). Three killed following earth slip in Rambukkana. Colombo Gazette. https://colombogazette.com/2021/11/09/three-killed-following-earth-slip-in-rambukkana/ 

Selvachandran, J. (2021, October 30). Preparing for the impact of climate change in Sri Lanka. Asia & The Pacific Policy Society. https://www.policyforum.net/preparing-for-the-impact-of-climate-change-in-sri-lanka/

The Straits Times (2021, November 08). Nine dead after floods in Sri Lanka, southern India. The Strait Times. https://www.straitstimes.com/asia/south-asia/nine-dead-after-floods-in-sri-lanka-southern-india 

Wijesingha, J. (2021, November 05). Sri Lanka at COP26: Hypocrisy and Doublespeak. Groundviews. https://groundviews.org/2021/11/05/sri-lanka-at-cop26-hypocrisy-and-doublespeak/