NATURAL DISASTERS

In our world we experience and we sow lots of natural disasters in our life time. Tsunami, I think we didn’t forget that day ‘December 26, 2004’. This massive earthquake occurred under the Indian Ocean just off the coast of Indonesia. The 9.3 magnitude quake created a series of Tsunamis that caused great destruction and loss of lives throughout the Indian Ocean basin including Sri Lanka.

Today, human beings have become victims of natural disasters such as earthquakes, floods, volcanoes, cyclones, landslides and drought. If we go through the above verse we can say that man is partly responsible for these disasters. Although no one can go against the nature, we, human being have already gone against it.

Sometimes, our rivers overflow causing heavy floods. Thousands of people living on both sides of the river become victims of the floods. They lose their houses and sometimes even their lives. In such a situations, the social serves department take prompt action through the divisional secretaries in the respective areas to grant relief to the victims.

Sri Lankans never though that they would be affected by earthquakes. But Tsunami occurred telling us that it is difficult to say which part of the world will be affected by these disasters. The government or the responsible by these disasters. The government or the responsible authorities should take action to implement a series of awareness programs throughout the country in order to make the people ware of these disasters and how could they face them and save themselves. When the sea flowed back before the Tsunami in our coastal area, the people just walked into the sea joyfully collecting fish and crabs. This was mainly due to ignorance.

Landslides or earth slips occur due to soil erosion. Mostly upper area like Kandy, Matale face those disasters. Soil erosion is caused by felling to trees. There for we should protect our forest reserves well. We should not cut down trees. Severe droughts too are caused due to wanton destruction of trees. We get the most needed rain because of the trees. Therefore we should protect our forest reserves well. We should not cut down trees. Severe droughts too are caused due to wanton destruction of trees. We get the most needed rain because of the trees.

 

When man has the right to avail himself of the natural resources available to him, he has over exploited the use of them leading to natural disasters.

In a certain way, every act of nature’s fury like an earthquake reminds us of two things. One, that nature demands its due respect. Laws of conservation have an underlying spirit of cosmic unity. Second, nature’s fury makes no distinction about human divisions, whether they are social, religious or geographical.