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Outline of the Study

Background of the Study

In recent years, several large scale disasters have devastated Sri Lanka (e.g. floods and landslides in 2003 and the Indian Ocean Tsunami on December 2004). Among these natural disasters, floods and landslides occur with the highest frequency, and their social and economical impacts are the most enormous. In the wake of these disasters, the Government of Sri Lanka (GOSL) announced a policy to reinforce the national level disaster management system and Sri Lanka Disaster Management Act, No. 13 of 2005, which set up the comprehensive framework from preparedness to emergency response and rehabilitation. Based on the Act, the National Council for Disaster Management (NCDM), the Ministry of Disaster Management and Human Rights (M/DMHR) and the Disaster Management Center (DMC) were established.

In order to strengthen the technical capacity of the above organizations, the Comprehensive Study on Disaster Management in Sri Lanka (the Master Plan Study) was carried out from October 2006 to March 2009 by Japan International Cooperation Agency (JICA).

Through the Comprehensive Study, the Master Plan including structural measures, strengthening of flood forecasting and warning system, and community based disaster management in the Kelani, the Kalu, the Gin and the Nilwala River basins was formulated. Furthermore, the priority project for short term flood measures in the Kalu River basin was selected out of the flood measures in the Master Plan. The selected structural and non-structural measures for the priority project are as indicated below:

River Basin	Component	Principal Features
Structural Measures
Kalu River	Flood bund construction	i) Flood bund in lower reach (L=21.4km) - Left bank (L=9.6km, H=3.3m) - Right bank (L=11.7km, H=3.2m) - New sluiceway (24 nos) ii�E�Flood bund in upper reach (L=6.4km) - Earth embankment (L=5.4km, H=2.1-3.5m�E�E - Concrete wall (L=1.0 km, H=3.1m) - New sluiceway (11 nos)
Non-Structural Measures
Kalu River	(1) Early Warning and Monitoring System	・6 automatic rain gauging stations ・3 automatic hydrometric stations�E�E
	(2) Restriction of further development in urban area	・Management and monitoring of land use, ・Prohibiting housing development in flood prone areas, ・Flood zoning with hazard mapping
	(3) Promotion of water-resistant architecture	・Heightening of building foundation ・Construction of / change to multi-storied housing ・Water proofing of wall/housing materials, etc.
	(4) Promotion of flood fighting activities	・Information dissemination in communities, ・Evacuation to safer areas, ・Removal of properties in houses/buildings, etc.
	(5) Institutional strengthening of implementing agency	・Consensus building for project implementation ・Integration with urban development and land use development plans

Source: Comprehensive Study on Disaster Management in Sri Lanka (JICA)

In addition, the Comprehensive Study recommended the following rehabilitation projects in the Kelani, the Gin and the Nilwala River basins be implemented urgently.

River Basin	Principal Features
Kelani River	・Construction of sluices (improvement: 8 nos., reconstruction: 8 nos., new construction: 1 no.) ・Canal lining and bank protection along lower reach
Gin River	Rehabilitation/renewal of existing 10 pumping stations
Nilwala River	Rehabilitation/renewal of existing 3 pumping stations

Source: Comprehensive Study on Disaster Management in Sri Lanka (JICA)

Due to increase of rainfall intensity and change of rainfall pattern by the climate change impact, the number of flood hazard occurrence is expected to rise; and its damage is foreseen to become worse. Furthermore, coupled with the population increase and expansion of urban areas, a possibility of socio-economical damage by flood hazards in the future is anticipated, and such damage may delay the social and economic development of the country.

In view of the results of the above Comprehensive Study and the climate change, the Government of Japan decided to conduct “Preparatory Study for Flood Risk Management and Climate Change Adaptation in South Western Sri Lanka" (hereinafter referred to as “the Study") in order to provide a technical assistance and feasibility study on flood measures considering climate change adaptation for the Kelani, the Kalu, the Gin and the Nilwala River basins, and JICA dispatched the Preparatory Study Team to Sri Lanka from 12 July to 8 August 2009.

M/DMHR, M/IWM (Ministry of Irrigation and Water Management), ERD (Department of External Resources, Ministry of Finance and Planning) and JICA agreed upon the scope of the Study and signed on the minutes of discussion for the Study on 7 August 2009. Then, the Study Team commenced the Study in Sri Lanka on 10 February 2010.

Objectives of the Study

The objectives of the Study are:
1. To conduct a feasibility study (F/S) on the priority project for short term flood measures

(structural and non-structural measures) in the Kalu River basin, adapting climate change impacts,

2. To formulate a rehabilitation and renewal plan for existing flood management infrastructures in

the Kelani River basin and the pumping stations in the Gin and the Nilwala River basins, and

3. To build flood management capacity of organizations concerned.

Study Area

The study area covers the Kalu (2,719km2), the Kelani (2,292km2), the Gin (932km2) and the Nilwara (971km2) River basins as shown in the location map.

The recent serious flood damage in and around the study area are

May 2003 flood	235 fatalities, 140,000 damaged households in Kalutara, Galle and Matara Districts
Oct. 2006 flood	25 fatalities, 72,000 damaged households in South Western areas
June 2008 flood	23 fatalities, 401,306 damaged households in South Western areas

Source: Preparatory Study Report (November 2009, JICA)

Scope of the Study

The Study is divided into the following four (4) components:
Component 1: Plan of Short-term Flood Measures Adapting Climate Change in the Kalu River basin

Component 2: Rehabilitation and Renewal Plan for Existing Flood Management Infrastructures in the Kelani River basin

Component 3: Rehabilitation and Renewal Plan for Pumping Stations in the Gin and the Nilwala River basins

Component 4: Capacity Development Program on Flood Management

Schedule of the Study

The study period is 21 months from January 2010 to September 2011.

Schedule of the Study

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