Sri Lanka is one of the most climate-vulnerable countries in the world, ranking 4th, 2nd, and 6th places on the Global Climate Vulnerability Index in 2018, 2019 and 2020 respectively.
Sri Lanka is routinely affected by recurring disasters, which have caused recorded damages of nearly $7 billion between 1990-2018 alone, says United Nations Office for Disaster Risk Reduction (UNDRR)
“Should climate-induced disaster strike Sri Lanka now, as seen in Pakistan, a country mirroring the debt-sustainability issue of Sri Lanka, the resultant damages would be of equally devastating proportions.”
As disasters are seen and described as being unprecedented, what is considered a known risk is constantly being challenged, leading to unimaginable and never experienced future outcomes. Further, the cost of these disasters disproportionately hit the poorest, most vulnerable, or fragile communities the hardest. As a developing island nation, consequences of climate change such as temperature rise, rainfall variability and sea level rise are critically affecting all economic sectors.
The impacts these disasters could have on the people of Sri Lanka, coupled with the already contracted economy necessitates prioritizing early warning systems and disaster risk information.
With extreme weather events becoming increasingly common, early warning systems which cultivate disaster and risk-aware communities for early action remain a powerful catalyzer of climate adaptation and disaster risk reduction.
As natural hazards become more challenging to cope with, it is not enough for early warning systems to correctly identify an incoming hazard, but must also be people-centered, ensuring that the populations and sectorsthat are at risk can receive the alert, understand it, and most importantly, act on it.
Anusha Warnasooriya, Director, Seasonal Forecasting, Department of Meteorology contends, “early warnings, climate forecasts and advisories are crucial foundational elements of all sectors. For example, this information helps the Department of Agriculture with cultivation planning to reduce losses, while the Department of Irrigation can manage efficient water consumption, and the Electricity Board can plan ahead on their hydro-power efforts
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