Date: 13th February 2025
Location: Hotel Blackstone, Hambantota, Sri Lanka

Empowering Communities Through Locally Led Disaster Management

Recognizing the need for stronger community resilience in disaster-prone regions, the Sri Lanka Preparedness Partnership (SLPP) successfully conducted a Subnational Stakeholder Consultation Workshop in Hambantota on 13th February 2025. The event, held at Hotel Blackstone, brought together key stakeholders from government, civil society organizations (CSOs), and the private sector to discuss and strategize ways to enhance locally led early warning systems (EWS) for landslides in the Walasmulla Divisional Secretariat (DS) Division.

The initiative is part of SLPP’s broader efforts under the Asian Preparedness Partnership (APP) though its innovative financing mechanism- the Asian Disaster Readiness Fund (ADRF) to strengthen forecast-based, community-led disaster risk reduction measures in Sri Lanka’s high-risk regions.

The Need for Strengthened Disaster Preparedness in Hambantota

Hambantota is a disaster-prone region, facing risks such as landslides, floods, and droughts. The workshop focused on addressing gaps in early warning dissemination, community response, and inter-agency coordination. The discussions highlighted the importance of localized preparedness, particularly in areas like Walasmulla, which are highly susceptible to landslides.

The event aligned with the objectives of Sri Lanka’s National Disaster Management Plan (2023-2030) and the Sendai Framework for Disaster Risk Reduction (2015-2030), ensuring that community-based risk reduction measures are both sustainable and scalable.

Objectives of the Workshop

The workshop aimed to:

  • Raise awareness about SLPP’s ongoing disaster preparedness initiatives.
  • Strengthen forecast-based early warning systems for landslides in high-risk areas.
  • Identify disaster risks and mitigation gaps within the Hambantota district.
  • Improve coordination among local and national disaster response agencies.
  • Encourage community participation in disaster risk reduction (DRR) efforts.

Key Sessions and Discussions

The workshop featured a series of expert presentations, discussions, and interactive group sessions, including:

  • Welcome & Opening Remarks: Delivered by the Assistant Director, Disaster Management Centre (DMC), Hambantota. He highlighted the significance of the Sri Lanka Preparedness Partnership (SLPP) with an emphasis on the Wallasmulla DS Division. He also stressed the urgent need to strengthen early warning systems in Hambantota district, given the current context where much of the existing equipment requires replacement.
  • Keynote Speech: Major General (Retd) H. M. Udaya Herath, Director General, DMC Sri Lanka, emphasized the importance of localized disaster preparedness efforts.
  • District Risk Profile Presentation: A comprehensive analysis of Hambantota’s vulnerability to landslides and other hazards. A detailed analysis of hazards in Hambantota district revealed a high potential for Tsunamis, floods, droughts, animal attacks, high winds, lightning, and landslides. In Walasmulla DSD specifically, the primary risks include landslides, floods, droughts, animal attacks, high winds, and lightning
  • SLPP Project Overview & Implementation Plan: Led by Dr. Janaka Hemathilaka, CEO of Janathakshan GTE Ltd., detailing strategic approaches to strengthening disaster preparedness in Walasmulla DS Division.
  • Group Work & Action Planning: Stakeholders collaborated on solutions for enhancing early warning dissemination and community response mechanisms.
Major General (Retd) H. M. Udaya Herath, Director General, DMC Sri Lanka, underscoring the need of localized disaster preparedness.

Stakeholder Participation Breakdown

Findings and Key Recommendations

Through interactive group discussions, stakeholders identified critical challenges and proposed actionable solutions for disaster preparedness in Hambantota:

  • Challenges Identified:
    • Inadequate early warning dissemination to last-mile communities.
    • Limited coordination between local authorities and response agencies.
    • Poor maintenance of landslide monitoring infrastructure.
    • Insufficient community engagement in disaster preparedness initiatives.
  • Recommended Actions:
    • Establish community-monitored landslide early warning systems.
    • Conduct regular training and capacity-building programs for local responders.
    • Improve coordination between government agencies, CSOs, and private sector actors.
    • Strengthen infrastructure maintenance and data-sharing mechanisms.

Expected Outcomes and Next Steps

As an outcome of the workshop, SLPP aims to:

  • Develop and implement a standardized landslide early warning protocol.
  • Support local government and community-based organizations in disaster preparedness efforts.
  • Establish landslide monitoring committees in high-risk areas.
  • Launch awareness programs on early warning systems and disaster mitigation strategies.

Voices from the Workshop

“I sincerely appreciate your commitment to strengthening disaster preparedness and resilience in Sri Lanka. Your presence today reflects the collective effort required to build a safer, more prepared nation. This program is aligned with the National Disaster Management Plan (NDMP) and Sri Lanka’s broader disaster risk reduction priorities. It also reinforces our dedication to the Sendai Framework for Disaster Risk Reduction (2015-2030), emphasizing proactive disaster preparedness and risk reduction at all levels.”

Major General H. M. Udaya Herath,

Director General, DMC, Sri Lanka