Envisioning Resilience; Need of a Paradigm Shift in Landslide Disaster Risk Reduction Process for Improving Social Resilience in Sri Lanka.

Landslide disaster risk reduction process that has been newly introduced and implemented in Sri Lanka is intellectually needed an immediate advancement, since no social sentiments are addressed and discussed. Hence, it is no wonder that wellbeing of social sphere has automatically been neglected and ignored in disaster risk reduction process of the country. Impacted and vulnerable communities due to landslide which is a geological phenomenon, are, in most cases, poorly aware about the cause of disaster and post disaster consequences. This has been well noted and well proved in many times by the protests of communities when the social sphere is crossed by the landslide disaster risk reduction plans.

Cultural behaviours and social relationships which have been resulted from establishment of long term experiences are highly important for local communities. While the material culture is more concerned in the context of western science, spiritual and ethereal culture in eastern world is dominated. Hence, application of western born, so called “scientific techniques and methods” in landslide disaster risk reduction are quite questionable in fitting with the Sri Lankan culture and that has not been realized yet.

It can be understood that exploring local traditions and traditional techniques are very important in landslide disaster risk reduction proses. Understanding the ethics, sentiments and mental states of the affected and vulnerable people should be the prioritized activity which is not concerned at present. Mental stress and depression developing in affected and vulnerable people must be considered in any plan of disaster risk reduction. Counselling and mental therapy based on local traditions should be introduced and applied wherever it is necessary. Hence, it is well understood that only materialistic approaches are not sufficient.

Implementing agencies of disaster risk reduction must be smart enough to improve the social resilience by considering the above mentioned requirements. Application of social geology which is newly developing sub field of geology can be suggested as one of such approaches. Social geologists, who are unique and specific, are capable of handling and relating both science and sentiments of people. Involvement of social geology in landslide disaster risk reduction can be a huge step in improving social resilience of Sri Lanka.

Dr.Pathmakumara Jayasingha

Reference :

Jayasingha P. 2016. Social Geology and Landslide Disaster Risk Reduction in Sri Lanka. Journal of Tropical Forestry and Environment. 6(2).