From last November’s Cyclone Ditwah to the prevailing drought and the upcoming El Niño phenomenon, Sri Lanka is increasingly facing climate extremes that leave it little space to manoeuvre until the next weather event hits, placing the economy and its people under significant strain.
According to University of Colombo (UOC) Department of Zoology and Environment Sciences Prof. Erandathie Lokupitiya, Sri Lanka is among the most climate-vulnerable nations in the world.
“Sri Lanka has been experiencing more intense and more frequent extreme events over the last few decades. The country has been ranked as one of the most vulnerable in the world, and its preparedness for these extreme events and associated impacts is still low.”
She noted that while the country had been addressing this issue through institutional strengthening; capacity building; vulnerability, risk, and impact assessments; and development of policies, guidelines, adaptation plans, and early warning systems, it lacked proper and timely implementation of policies and plans targeting disaster preparedness – especially given the unpredictability of climate change and intensified natural disasters.
“We still lack the required technology and sufficient resilient infrastructure to face the devastating impacts of climate change,” she said, pointing out that the country’s risk profile had worsened over the past decade.
“The frequency and intensity of the disasters have significantly increased with continued global warming. The exposure of vulnerable communities and the level of impacts have also increased.”
Policies and institutional frameworks
The consequences of climate change are visible throughout key sectors across the economy, with agriculture – including tea – having been affected by almost all types of disasters to varying degrees, leading to impacts on agricultural productivity and prices, income, and farmers’ overall livelihoods.
Coastal communities and fisheries have also been affected, while the energy sector has faced significant instability with challenges in power supply.
Against this backdrop, the country has not been inactive. The Climate Change Secretariat under the Ministry of Environment, which works to improve the resilience of those vulnerable to climate change impacts, serves as a central body coordinating the country’s response. Speaking to The Sunday Morning, Climate Change Secretariat Director Leel Randeni outlined the policy frameworks guiding Sri Lanka’s climate change strategy.
Alongside the National Climate Change Policy, Sri Lanka also operates within a broad range of policy and institutional frameworks, including the National Environmental Action Plan and the National Environmental Policy, as well as international mechanisms such as the United Nations Framework Convention on Climate Change (UNFCCC).
The secretariat works with multiple stakeholders within this structure, such as Government agencies, the private sector, civil society, and academia, to reduce greenhouse gas emissions and strengthen resilience to climate change.
Sri Lanka’s approach distinguishes between mitigation and adaptation. Of the 16 sectors in the economy, six are mitigation sectors, such as industry and energy, where greenhouse gas emissions are high and measures must be taken to reduce emissions. Others, such as agriculture, tourism, water, and ecosystem services – which do not emit significant levels of greenhouse gases – have been identified as adaptation sectors, where the focus is on helping communities cope with the adverse impacts of climate change.
In addition, the loss and damage sector addresses the growing toll of climate-induced disasters such as tropical cyclones, landslides, flooding, and prolonged droughts.
Unified action lacking
However, policies alone do not guarantee readiness.
According to Prof. Lokupitiya, despite an “appreciable number” of policies and plans, such as the updated National Policy on Climate Change, Disaster Management Plan, National Adaptation Plan, and sectoral plans incorporating climate change concerns in place, the “lack of proper implementation, especially due to poor coordination among the relevant stakeholders, has been a key concern”.
Moreover, she noted that technological, financial, and capacity constraints had also impacted the implementation process.
The economic cost is also mounting. Prof. Lokupitiya noted: “With ever-increasing impacts from climate change and associated economic losses and damage to people, housing, and infrastructure, a significant fraction of Government (and other) funds need to be diverted to rehabilitation activities almost every year now, which impacts the economic development within the country.”
She stressed the need for more focused efforts to strengthen resilience and development/restructuring activities at the local level, relying less on imports while safeguarding our natural resources.
Prof. Lokupitiya further highlighted the importance of access to adequate funds to deal with loss and damage, proper international support and cooperation mechanisms, strengthening capacity and awareness on issues, and enhanced early warning systems, evacuation plans, and strategic frameworks for risk management to minimise economic damage.
Randeni too described a mixed assessment of Sri Lanka’s level of preparedness. “We have done certain things. We have prepared Nationally Determined Contributions (NDCs), identified professionals and institutional frameworks, and coordinated with the Disaster Management Centre (DMC). Moreover, climate-induced disasters are also addressed to some extent in the Disaster Management Act. But our interventions are not sufficient.”
One key gap lies in the Disaster Management Act, which was originally prepared to address general disasters. Randeni said that efforts were underway to incorporate the growing complexity of climate-induced events into the act, particularly given the non-economic losses and damage associated with disasters at present, which are harder to quantify.
Sri Lanka is also currently preparing to access international funding through various mechanisms. “Although we have received some funding from the global community, the UNFCCC, and other multilateral donor facilities, we are trying to secure additional funds in order to address non-economic closures and damage, along with disaster preparedness and anticipatory action,” Randeni said.
He noted that the country was preparing to apply for funding under the UNFCCC’s Fund for Responding to Loss and Damage (FRLD), with funding available in the range of $ 5–20 million per request. A proposal has been developed in consultation with multiple stakeholders, which will be submitted following approval from financial authorities.
Randeni said that a National Adaptation Plan for 2026–2035 had been developed, identifying interventions to enhance climate resilience, along with a Climate Prosperity Plan aimed at identifying flagship projects to attract foreign investment, climate finance, technology, and other capacity building while addressing climate challenges.
“Our documents, indicators, network, institutional framework, and guidelines are in place. But what is lacking is unified action and public engagement to fully implement these policies,” Randeni said.
Preparing for water scarcity
Adaptation efforts are already underway, particularly in agriculture. Department of Agriculture Principal Agriculture Scientist – Agroclimatology C.K. Wickramathunga said that while an El Niño condition was developing, there was a more-than-50% probability that its impacts would only be visible from July onwards.
“For now, there isn’t a visible major effect. We are in consultation with the Department of Meteorology to decide how the upcoming Yala season will proceed. Following discussions at the advisory committee meeting on Thursday (2), we will have a formal update on how farmers should adapt overall.”
However, with the Yala season beginning towards the end of April and water levels in reservoirs being somewhat lower than usual due to prevailing conditions, along with a possible reduction in the rainfall expected from the southwest monsoon due to El Niño conditions, water scarcity remains a concern.
“We are strongly emphasising proper water management,” Wickramathunga said. “Specifically, we are promoting micro-irrigation systems like drip and sprinkler irrigation which use less water. These allow us to manage with the limited water available.
“Additionally, the pumps used in micro-irrigation require less energy, which reduces carbon dioxide emissions. Since the greenhouse effect – driven by carbon dioxide emissions – is a major cause of climate change, using less water helps mitigate the problem. Also, since these methods often lead to higher yields, we can produce more from less land and water, which helps offset the impacts of the greenhouse effect.”
He noted that irrigation and water management systems available at present were largely sufficient for future agricultural needs.
“If we know water will be scarce, we can introduce short-term rice varieties. For other crops, we have introduced protected crops for when unseasonal rains occur, preventing damage to the crops. In rice cultivation, we use a method called Alternate Wetting and Drying, through which we can save two or three irrigation cycles. The Department of Agriculture is currently implementing these techniques with farmers.”
DMC perspective
According to DMC Preparedness Planning Division Director Chathura Liyanaarachchi, the institution was not originally designed to handle the scale and complexity of current climate impacts.
“When the DMC was established in 2004 after the tsunami, it wasn’t structurally built for current climate impacts like heat waves and cyclones. But now, given how the disaster management system has expanded, this structure is no longer sufficient, or else, needs further development.”
He noted that this would mean changes like introducing a climate change division or integrating advanced technology such as Artificial Intelligence (AI), machine learning, or decision support systems.
The DMC revises the National Disaster Management Plan once every five years or after major disasters. The current framework covers 2023–2030, alongside the National Emergency Operation Plan, and institutional plans at national level. The DMC conducts training, awareness, mitigation, preparedness, response, and drills at district levels, although Liyanaarachchi noted that their cadre was insufficient to handle entire districts.
He also highlighted gaps in forecasting, noting that while technical agencies provided forecasts, these did not always translate effectively into impact-based warnings.
“Cyclone Ditwah was an eye-opener. Typically, cyclones move towards India, Myanmar, and Bangladesh. But this system came into Sri Lanka and stayed for 48 hours, which signals a larger issue that needs to be studied further. Forecasting capabilities also need to be increased.”
Noting that extreme weather events were now expected to become more frequent due to global warming and climate change, he said that adaptation programmes such as ‘Wewgam Pubuduwa’ had been implemented previously, but stronger collective action was needed.
For instance, he noted that enforcing proper governance was essential to address practices that undermined climate change adaptation, such as constructions in catchment areas, on tank bunds, or in the central fragile area.
“The DMC can provide sensitisation, raise awareness, and help the public with preparedness. But the people also have a responsibility to understand the risks in the areas where they live.”