Text and pictures by PRIYAN DE SILVA

Technical Specialist of the Asian Disaster Preparedness Centre (ADPC) Eng. Bandula WickramarachchI at a press briefing held on Tuesday (21) said that

Sri Lanka Preparedness Partnership (SLPP) which had successfully completed its first two cycles of operation with an investment of USD 348,485.21, was set to commence its third operational cycle within the next few months and added that the third operational cycle would be operative for three years.

Sri Lanka Preparedness Partnership is a collaboration of Public, Private and civil Society Organisations who have come on board a common platform to set up locally led disaster risk reduction initiatives for effective emergency response. It is currently co-chaired by the Disaster Management Centre (DMC), the Ceylon Chamber of Commerce and Janathakshan GTE.

Wickramaarachchi said that SLPP was formed in September 2017 under the flagship of the Asian Preparedness Partnership (APP) and is funded by the Bill and Melinda Gates Foundation with Secretarial support of the Asian Disaster Preparedness Centre (ADPC).

The first operational cycle was completed in July 2019 after which SLPP implemented APP’s Covid 19 support programme during the period of June to December 2020. The second operational cycle commenced in September 2020 and will conclude in February 2023.

During this period the partnership also supported in localizing and implementing the global Disaster Risk Reduction (DRR) frameworks, national DRR policies, strategies and plans. SLPP also contributed in supporting the national DRR coordination system through developing, updating and contextualisation of various national guidelines and standards.

Some of the major achievements include the establishment of national guidelines to develop institutional disaster management plans, updating standard operating plans, developing comprehensive model village disaster management plans, contextualising humanitarian standards for safe centre management and facilitated the building sub national partnerships via district chambers of commerce in selected locations.

Director SLPP Sunil Jayaweera said that of the 21 recognised disasters priority has been given to preparedness for tsunami risk as there was a limited time period between the warning and when the tsunami strikes and furthermore 14 of the 25 districts in the island face the risk of being struck by a tsunami. He said that evacuation drills are being conducted periodically at institutions that are at risk in these districts. Jayaweera said that landslides and flooding were the next two serious risks in Sri Lanka.

Director Operations Janathakshan GTE Ltd Gothami Chandrarathna said that Janathakshan acted as coordinators between civil society and other stakeholders and had taken the initiative to form the ‘Sri Lanka Civil Society Action Network for Community Resilience’ (SLNCR) which was an umbrella for over a hundred civil society organisations.