Sri Lanka It's Happening

May 7, 2004

It was bound to happen, the heavy rains of the last few days have set off a few minor landslides and there is the threat of many more hills sliding off into oblivio. In fact 800 such sites have been identified, what a large number for such a small country.

Landslides (or earth slips as they are sometimes called) have two main causes in this country. The more serius and major landslides occur when the rain water seeps through the ground to reach the layers of rock buried deep in the earth. Then the water gradually starts flowing between the rocks and the layers of earth above it totally destablising the layers above. Then suddenly with out warning the whole hill side starts to move taking with it the trees, houses, roads vehicles and everything else on it. Such slides results in great loss of lives.

The minors slides are caused by rain water flowing rapidly along the surface - usually on hill sides that do not have sufficient forest cover. These slides do not result in loss of lives or property but the top soil gets washed off and it takes many many years for vegetation to appear on these hills again.

Not far from Great Western, where I was the last few days, there is an area known as yoxford where the hill has been greatly weakened. Some houses were relocated a few years back and a road re routed because they were in the possible path of a future slide. I was planning to visit the place and take a few photographs because this area is not far from the site of the proposed upper kothmale. project.

I have more sense than the ministry of power and energy and didn't see any point in taking huge risk in this heavy rain. If that dam is build surely it would be buried with in months?

Posted by raditha at May 7, 2004 4:10 AM