Disasters after Disasters Case Study Based on Spatial Distribution of Health Implications of Multiple Disasters Sri Lanka in 2016

Disasters have become more devastated and frequent in occurrence worldwide whereas Sri Lanka too is also prone to multiple disasters especially to disasters with a hydro meteorological origin. Meethotamulla and Kuruniyawaththa Grama Niladhari Divisions are located in the flood plain of lower Kalani River basin which is highly prone to multiple disasters. The study was carried out to identify the prevailing disaster types and to study the spatial and temporal variation of health impacts of them. Methodology of data collection consists of a semi structured interview and a questionnaire survey, which were conducted among fifty households from each Grama Niladhari Division. For the interviews, key informants like government officials who are serving for the area were selected. Methods spatial analysis and descriptive analysis along with some statistical methods of descriptive statistics are used as the methods of data analysis and to present the findings maps and graphs have been used. According to results, people have identified epidemics as the most common disaster type and floods as the most damaging disaster type in the areas and psychiatric disorders, dengue and leptospirosis were identified as health impacts resulted by the flooding. With a great emphasis the residents warned the garbage dumping site as a hazard with a sliding risk, which had previously not been informed my government officials. A year later it, the dumping site slide submerging an entire area. So the study highlights the importance of understanding the risk especially in areas with multiple hazards in planning and decision making. Chathumani D. | Nandaseela S. M. A. T. De S. "Disasters after Disasters; Case Study Based on Spatial Distribution of Health Implications of Multiple Disasters; Sri Lanka in 2016" Published in International Journal of Trend in Scientific Research and Development (ijtsrd), ISSN: 2456-6470, Volume-3 | Issue-4 , June 2019, URL: https://www.ijtsrd.com/papers/ijtsrd24042.pdf