Long-term recovery from the 2004 Indian ocean tsunami in two Sri Lankan east coast municipalities

Abstract

Sri Lanka was the second most affected country after Indonesia, in the 2004 Boxing Day Indian Ocean tsunami (IOT). A study mission was therefore carried out twenty years after the 2004 IOT to assess the recovery of the affected regions, especially in the Eastern region of Sri Lanka, focusing on two of the most affected municipalities, i.e. Kalmunai and Batticaloa. The social and infrastructure characteristics of resettlements/relocations/new settlements in the affected regions, presence of critical infrastructure, preparedness and early warning systems installed have been assessed. It was observed that similar approaches have been adopted to plan the community relocation in both of these municipalities, while the significant reemergence of residential and commercial developments in the coastal stretches of Kalmunai municipality have been noted. Exposure analyses have revealed that there are still some critical infrastructure situated in the tsunami hazard zones. It can be construed that these municipalities have recovered from the physical losses incurred, and spatial planning is in place for future developments considering the tsunami risk. Challenges and opportunities from their differing geographical contexts appear to have been judiciously handled. However, shortcomings are noted in actual implementation due to various reasons, such as limited resources, availability of funding and preference of communities to live close to their original lands. Improving the resilience of infrastructure by designing against the expected tsunami hazard and multi-hazards, regular verification of the early warning systems and evacuation procedures are emphasized to mitigate the impacts from future tsunami.