Towards Disaster resilient Cities in Sri Lanka

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1 Towards Disaster resilient Cities in Sri Lanka Hemanthi Ranasinghe Department of Forestry and Environmental Science, University of Sri Jayewardenepura, Sri Lanka Abstract A resilient city is a city that can withstand an extreme natural event without suffering devastating losses, damage, diminished productivity or quality of life and without large amount of assistance from outside the community. This paper intends to provide plausible suggestions to mainstream disaster risk reduction in policies, programs and plans. Sri Lanka has an urban population of around 16.3 % and it is expected that more than 30% of the country s population will be living in cities by the year 2030 (ADB, 2006). The estimated average urban growth rate is 3.1% per year during the period Among the most pronounced disasters in the urban areas, floods, drought, cyclones, epidemics can be mentioned. According to published reports, occurrence and frequently of these disasters have become more critical on the face of the projected impacts of climate change. While Colombo remains the highest, Kurunegala, Anuradhapura, Kalutara, Ratnapura, Matale, Kandy, Badulla, Puttalam and Hambantota also have been identified as multi hazard prone districts. By way of risk minimization and mitigation it is imperative that action has to be taken at all levels ie policy, program and local levels. Policy guidance can facilitate the zoning of areas according to their suitability such as areas for construction of buildings and roads, areas to be kept under permanent tree cover, areas for public open recreational spaces, areas to house industries and other commercial activities and tourism areas. With regard to the coastal cities, it is imperative to have both physical and biological barriers to curtail the coastal hazards such as cyclones, tornadoes and even tsunami. At program level, budget has to be allocated for disaster risk reduction and to invest in critical infrastructure ie storm water drainage. Installation of early warning systems which are very useful to identify impending disasters early. The Urban Councils should ensure that all new buildings comply with risk compliant building regulations. The community should be educated on the Disaster risk reduction. Keywords: disaster, resilience, cities, urban, risk

2 1. Introduction Urban planning is a dynamic process that works to improve the standard of living of people and their communities by creating more convenient, equitable, healthful, efficient and attractive places for present and future generations. Good planning helps create communities that offer better choices for where and how people live. Planning helps communities to envision their future. It helps them find the right balance of new development and essential services, environmental protection, adaptation and innovative change. Disaster is a sudden, calamitous event bringing great damage, loss, and destruction and devastation to life and property. They are pending issues and unresolved problems of Development and Governance (ADB, 1996). Further, there are no risk-neutral development investments. What should be done is to avoid/ minimize the possibilities of increasing disaster risk and implement development in a way that decreases the existing disaster risk of the community (Disaster Mitigation). Disaster risk reduction is a systematic process of using administrative decisions, organizations, operational capacities to implement policies, strategies, coping capacities to lessen impacts of hazards. The most common disasters with regard to cities are floods, drought, sea level rise (in coastal areas), cyclones, epidemics. Climate Change also aggravates the disasters by enhancing the extreme weather conditions like drought, rainfall etc. City resiliency with regard to disasters means that a city is able to withstand an extreme natural event without suffering devastating losses, damage, diminished productivity, or quality of life and without a large amount of assistance from outside the community A resilient city is a sustainable network of physical and biological systems and human communities. 1.1 Why cities matter According to the United Nations report on World Urbanisation Prospects (2007) world population will increase from 6.1billion in 2000 to 7.2billion in 2015 and 8.1billion in Almost all of the additional population will reside in cities. In 2007 half of humanity lived in towns and cities, by 2050, ⅔ of the world will be urban. 80% of global urban population growth will take place in developing countries. From 2007, 1 billion of the number of slum dwellers will double by 2030 (United Nations, 2007). Cities consume 75 percent of global energy. 80 percent of global greenhouse gas emissions originate from cities. Growing sectors like transport, households, construction, waste and others are based in cities. Cities now home to majority of the world population. Majority of cities and majority of urban population live in vulnerable locations. 3,351 cities lie in low elevation coastal zones & 64 percent are in developing regions. In the developed world, 35 of the 40 largest cities are either coastal or along

3 a river bank while in Asia, 18 of the region's 20 largest cities are either coastal, on a river bank or in a delta. 17 percent of the total urban population in Asia lives in the low elevation coastal zone. It has been estimated that 117 million people have suffered from some 300 natural disasters (United Nations, 2007). In Asia, 1 billion people live in slums, and that number could double by In Colombo 65,000 families live in under-served settlements. Urban poor live in places vulnerable to flooding, landslides, near polluted grounds. Therefore in the case of a disaster, most cities become vulnerable as they have lack of access to information, lack of capacity, lack of capital to respond in a timely manner. Further they have lack of networking and poor resource base which aggravates the situation (United Nations, 2007). Table 1 shows the growth of total population and urban population from Table 1: Sri Lanka s growth of total population and urban population Total population Urban population Percent urban 17,261 18,334 19,337 20,332 21,294 22,129 22,627 4,315 4,638 5,102 5,760 6,659 7,834 9, Total population Urban population Source: Presidential Task Force Report on Housing Urban Development Sri Lanka s urban share is predicted to increase from 30% in year 2000 to 65% in year 2030 Disasters are closely linked with urban development. The present urban population in Sri Lanka is around 16.3 percent. It is expected that more than 30 percent of the country s population will be living in cities by the year 2030 (ADB, 2006). The estimated average urban growth rate is 3.1 percent per year during , whereas annual population growth rate will be less than 1.1 percent. Added pressure on the immediate outskirts and periphery of the cities can be experienced from the following; the

4 average annual growth rate of urban population in Colombo during 1981 and 2001 is 0.59 percent, while the average annual growth rate of population in suburbs of Colombo during the same period is 4.61 percent (ADB, 2006). The pace and magnitude of urbanization in Sri Lanka means that policies and strategies should be in place to ensure sustainable and safe urban development. Apart from direct anthropogenic reasons, disasters had risen due to natural causes and due to climate change also which is a much global phenomenon. While floods, droughts, lightening, landslides are the common disasters occurring in the urban environment, in cities the coastal areas face the coastal disasters like storms, hurricanes, tornadoes, coastal erosion etc. When all probable disasters that could occur were factored in, Colombo emerges as the most multi hazard prone district followed by other districts ie Kurunegala, Anuradhapura, Kalutara, Ratnapura, Matale, Kandy, Badulla, Puttalam and Hambantota. Figure 1 shows the landslide prone areas in the country while Figure 2 shows the flood prone areas according to the National Building Research Organisation.

5 Figure 1: Landslide prone areas in Sri Lanka (source NBRO)

6 Figure 2: Flood prone areas in Sri Lanka (Source: NBRO) The flood risk in the western province where most of the urban population resides had increased over the years exponentially. Even though unprecedented rainfall accounts for some of the severe flood events reported, increased flood risk cannot simply be attributed to the rainfall alone. The severity of natural hazards impacts is linked to unplanned urban development, depletion of eco systems (storm water retention areas), poor enforcement of guidelines, improper construction and poor maintenance of storm water drainage systems. Mostly urban poor are first and worst hit by disasters. While these urban poor play an essential role for the functioning of the cities, they also contribute to increase the disaster risk in the cities.

7 1.2 Objective of the paper This paper intends to provide plausible suggestions to mainstream disaster risk reduction in policies, programs and plans. After an in-depth study on the occurrence of disasters and their root causes, the actions already taken in this regard at both international and national levels, recommendations had been given to achieve the above objective. 2. Disaster Risk Reduction (DRR) with special reference to urban setting Disaster Risk Reduction is a systematic process of using administrative decisions, organizations, operational capacities to implement policies, strategies, coping capacities to lessen the impacts of hazards. The DRR can be further divided into prevention, mitigation and preparedness. The prevention is the activities designated to provide permanent protection from disasters while mitigation is the measures taken in advance to reduce the impact of disasters on society, individuals and environment. Preparedness deals with the ability to predict, respond to and cope with the effect of a disaster. Mainstreaming disaster risk reduction into local level development planning is the way forward. 3. Actions taken at different levels to make cities more resilient to disasters 3.1 At International Level At the international level, the United Nations International Strategy for Disaster Reduction (UNISDR) has launched the new World Disaster Reduction Campaign Making Cities Resilient to address issues of local governance and urban risk while drawing upon previous ISDR campaigns on safer schools and hospitals..a ten point agenda has been put forward in urban planning as shown below; 1. Put in place organization and coordination to understand and reduce disaster risk, based on participation of citizen groups and civil society 2. Assign a budget for disaster risk reduction 3. Prepare risk assessments 4. Invest in and maintain critical infrastructure e.g. storm water drainage 5. Assess the safety of all schools and health facilities

8 6. Apply and enforce realistic, risk compliant building regulations and land use planning principles 7. Ensure that education programmes and training on DRR in place in schools and local communities 8. Protect eco-systems and natural buffers 9. Install early warning systems 10. Needs of the survivors and victims are considered in rebuilding The UN Habitat under the world urban campaign in has come up with the following principles for urban development; 1 Accessible and pro-poor land, infrastructure, services, mobility and housing; 2 Socially inclusive, gender sensitive, healthy and safe development; 3 Environmentally sound and carbon-efficient built environment; 4 Participatory planning and decision making processes; 5 Vibrant and competitive local economies promoting decent work and livelihoods; 6 Assurance of non-discrimination and equitable rights to the city; and 7 Empowering cities and communities to plan for and effectively manage adversity and change to build resilience. 3.2 At the national level Legislative background In Sri Lanka, in 1996 on a Cabinet directive National Disaster Management Centre (NDMC) was established under the Ministry of Social Services. NDMC was responsible for providing relief to victims of disasters, organizing training and awareness programmes. After 2003 floods with UNDP assistance, NDMC initiated a programme to develop Preparedness Plans in districts affected by floods and Landslides. Tsunami (2004), floods and landslides (2003) and various small to medium scale disasters over the past few years have brought back into focus the fact that Sri Lanka is a disaster prone country. There has been unanimous recognition by the Sri Lankan government, civil society and

9 international agencies for an urgent need to strengthen all aspects of Disaster Risk Management (DRM) both proactive risk reduction as well as reactive disaster response mechanisms. In 2005 a Parliamentary Select Committee was appointed to review the disaster risk management status of the country and make recommendations. Two important recommendation out many are; Establishment of legal and Institutional framework for DRM Address Disaster Management holistically The Sri Lanka Disaster Management Policy was formulated and under its aegis the Disaster Management Act was passed in 2005 which encompassed the following; Establish a legal Institutional framework for Disaster Risk Management (DRM) in Sri Lanka Addresses Disaster Management (DM) holistically (All four phases of disaster Cycle) Emphasis a policy shift from response based mechanisms to a proactive approach Act required to establish two important Institutions; The National Council for Disaster Management (NCDM) The Disaster Management Centre (DMC) under the National Council for Disaster Management (NCDM) as the lead agency on disaster risk management in the country in implementing the directives of NCDM In December 2005, the Ministry for Disaster Management was established. On January 2006, above Ministry was renamed as the Ministry of Disaster Management & Human Rights. Road Map towards building a 'Safer Sri Lanka' for the next 10 years, identifying specific projects in coordination with multiple stakeholders through a holistic strategy. The seven thematic areas of the road map are; Policy, Institutional Mandates & Institutional Development Hazard, Vulnerability & Risk Assessment Multi-hazard Early Warning Systems Disaster Preparedness Planning and Response

10 Disaster Mitigation and Integration into Development Planning Community based Disaster Management, and Training, Education and Public Awareness In an urban setting the vulnerability to a disaster depends on the type of disaster and its coping capacity. Major components of a development plan in a city involves zoning plan, infrastructure plan, environment and conservation plan, transport plan, investment plan and urban design/guide plan. Identified tools and toolkits for facilitating disaster resilience in a city are; Land use Zoning (Policy, Guidelines/Standards) Hazards maps Preliminary planning clearance EIA/IEE/SEA Subdivision/building regulations, guidelines, standards Urban design Environment and landscape plan Layout and building design With regard to land use planning as a tool, it is imperative to identify permissible uses and prohibited uses. The disaster prone areas as well as no development zones should be identified. Identification of hazardous areas are being done by the following government institutions; Flood (Irrigation Department), Cyclones (Meteorological Department), Landslides (National Building Research Organisation), Tsunami (Coast Conservation Department) and Drought (Agricultural Dept, Meteorology Dept, and Water Resources Board). It is hoped to produce a holistic hazard map for the entire country facilitated by the UNDP through DMC in the recent future. The landslide prone areas and flood prone areas have already being mapped and circulated to the respective local authorities for action. In the Urban Plan, the plot sizes, plot coverages, open spaces and setbacks (for shore lines and reservations), building types and their heights are identified. The density of urban sprawl is also determined. In order to minimize the risk from floods, retention areas are also included.

11 As much as land use zoning is important to prevent or minimize the risk of disasters in cities, having proper guidelines and approval process (litigation) is important to ensure the sustainability of the same. With regard to the housing sector, building regulations are available which assists in erecting buildings which will minimize the disaster risk and be appropriate to the setting of the urban area. For example, provision of light and ventilation, use of construction materials, soil and structural stability, provision of infrastructure and other amenities, aesthetic quality and access are also considered in these regulations. To erect a building or expand an existing one, a preliminary planning clearance, development permit, certificate of conformity are required. However, there are many drawbacks which takes urban planning far from the ideal situation. There are many agencies and institutions involved in this process and lack of clear cut duties and responsibilities or overlapping responsibilities which may be sometimes contradictory may work against the objective. Further, lack of reliable and qualitative and quantitative e data and information, lack of team work, lack of awareness among the stakeholders, lack of political will and commitment, lack of capacity (technical) of local authorities, lack of integration and coordination among the implementation institutions can be stated as some factors which contribute to these negativities. Further lack of funds also contributes to this largely Strategic Environmental Assessment As a means of finding a solution to the above, Sri Lanka has commenced on a new approach in zoning the towns and greater townships and provinces according to their capability and potential through conducting integrated strategic environmental assessments (SEA). There are conducted with a view to integrate disaster risk management into development plans and programmes, identification of areas which are ecologically sensitive and advocate for their conservation and complementary uses, identify areas which are suitable for further development ie tourism etc. This is done using existing information and preparation of base maps with contours and spot heights and after superimposing them to identify the existing land uses with regional context to understand the connectivity and flow of the entire system. For example to understand the pattern of a province and give directions for future development, the following types of base maps are required; areas available for development in relation to settlements, agriculture and archeological conservation areas, forest and wildlife conservation areas, sensitive marine habitats and areas having potential for marine tourism activities, areas with mineral resources, surface and ground water resources etc. Based on these potential areas for further development and areas to be set aside for conservation are identified. In Sri Lanka SEAs have been conducted for Trincomalee Town and the outskirts, Hambantota District, Northern Province. Work has already commenced on the SEA for Gampaha. Other areas of the country will also be done soon and therefore, it is hoped that the entire country will resort to well planned development which is sustainable in both economic, environmental and social terms. To aid to this process, hazard and vulnerability maps are being prepared for the entire country. It is also imperative to strengthen the legal framework and building up the team work of all the key players ie Local Authorities, Land use Policy Planning Division, Urban Development Authority, National Planning

12 Department. These institutes should have clear cut responsibilities. The Development Plans prepared should integrate physical plans and economic plans and also have easy access to all. DRR has to be incorporated into planning at all levels ie national, regional, local area and site planning. In Urban Development Planning it is imperative to carry out a situation analysis including a SWOT and also a hazardous and vulnerability assessment. A very natural and cost effective approach for disaster risk reduction in a city or urban area is ecosystem based disaster risk reduction. This is sustainable management, conservation and restoration of ecosystems to provide services that reduce disaster risk by mitigating hazards and increasing livelihood resilience. The benefits of this approach are it is cost effective, provides multiple benefits for human well being regardless of a disaster event, high benefit cost compared to human built infrastructure for example coastal wetlands and mangroves act as natural buffers and also provides supplementary ecosystem benefits to local livelihoods. Some other examples are restoration of wetlands for flood mitigation, integration of watershed management which also can be called river basin management. This aims to secure water supply downstream thus reducing flood risks from storms. This includes soil conservation, resorting to sustainable agriculture, water management plans prepared with the participation of all stakeholders, micro water shed management plan preparation with the participation of the respective stakeholders. Improvement of the existing or construction of new water bodies in the cities to hold the excess water and cleaning of drains to take the excess water to the sea are also very important in this practice. Similarly in coastal cities, integrated coastal zone management which includes coastal afforestation or establishment of buffer zones around the coast with natural coastal vegetation including mangroves, stabilization of sand dunes if available can be stated. These while protecting the city from coastal hazards, provides timber and fuelwood, biodiversity and alternative livelihoods for the inhabitants. In steep areas, planting of the slopes with trees helps to stabilize the slopes and prevent soil erosion and landslides. Based on the above it could be summarized that disaster risk reduction in an urban environment takes multi stakeholder participation and multi approach innovations. The Based on the place and the magnitude of vulnerability, both physical and biological measures are useful. However, it should be stressed that commitment of all including international, national, regional, local and individual level is mandatory to proceed. 4. Conclusion In order to reduce the disaster risk it is imperative to mainstream disaster risk reduction in policies, programs and plans in a coutnry. Having proper guidelines, standards and norms as well as regulations in planning and development is imperative. This includes zoning of the areas according to the land capability, potential and need for conservation, having building codes to minimize the disaster risk individually and collectively. It is also required to resort to more cost effective ecological methods of disaster risk reduction such as having green belts, green lungs in cities (parks) and water courses and

13 to have tree belts to take out the heat and the dust. Installation of early warning systems as well as educating the public about indentifying impending disasters and response is also useful to the sustainability of disaster risk reduction in a society. References Mahanama, PKS (2010) Urban Planning and Disaster Resilient Cities, Second National Symposium on Disaster Risk Reduction and Climate Change Adaptation, October at SLFI, Colombo. Weerasoori, I.S. Facilitating Disaster Resilient through Building Guidelines and Approval process, Second National Symposium on Disaster Risk Reduction and Climate Change Adaptation, October at SLFI, Colombo. Chandradasa, U.W.L. (2010) Legal and Institutional arrangements for disaster risk management, Second National Symposium on Disaster Risk Reduction and Climate Change Adaptation, October at SLFI, Colombo. Presidential Task Force Report on Housing & Urban Development (accessed on ) Practical Action (2010) Towards Resilient cities A guidance note on engaging the urban poor Asian Development Bank (2008) City Cluster Development: Towards an Urban Led Development Strategy for Asia, Philippines. Asian Development Bank (2006) Special evaluation study: Urban Sector Strategy and Operations, Manila. United Nations (UN) World Urbanisation Prospects: The 2007 Revision, New York. Sri Lanka Disaster Inventory Database ( ) UNHABITAT (1999) Reassessment of Urban Planning and Development Regulations in Asian Cities. UNHABITAT (2010) State of the World s Cities 2011/2011 Cities for All: Bridging the Urban Divide. United Nations International Strategy for Disaster Reduction (UNISDR)

14 Towards a Safer Sri Lanka A Road Map for Disaster Risk Management Vol. 2 Project Proposals April 200Sri Lanka Disaster Management Act; No.13 of 2005