Torrential rains over the weekend buried Sri Lanka under mudslides and the worst floods since 2003. Although the storm – now Cyclone Mora – has left for Bangladesh, the effects are far from over. Aid agencies are bracing for more possible rains as well as an uptick in dengue, cholera and other water-borne diseases.
For years, residents of a slum outside of Sri Lanka’s capital, Colombo, have been calling on the government to remove a massive and growing pile of garbage in a landfill next to their homes. A deadly dump landslide has finally spurred the government to act. Slums and garbage dumps tend to grow alongside each other everywhere, as the poor around the world erect homesteads on land unwanted by those with resources or choose to locate where they can harvest cast-off materials in the hope of eking out a meager income.
Sri Lanka is in the midst of its worst drought in decades. Rain shortages since October have created a humanitarian and economic crisis that is now affecting more than 1.2 million people. More than 900,000 people are in “urgent need of food assistance,” while 80,000 of them may need “urgent life-saving support,” according to a March 7 draft assessment acquired by IRIN.
From floods to drought – there’s no reprieve for Sri Lanka. Unfortunately, it will only get worse with climate change, unless the government commits to some immediate improvements.
After decades of of civil conflict, Sri Lanka is experiencing an increase in violence against women, demanding extra efforts of activists.
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