Landslide Situation

in Sri Lanka

National Building Research Organization

(NBRO)
 Tsunami
16% Landslides
1%
Drought 5% Storms

32%

Number of people affected by disasters in Sri Lanka 1974-2005

Flood
46%

☻ On average over 200, 000 people in Sri Lanka

are affected by natural disasters every year !

☻ Flood and Drought are the most frequent

disasters in Sri Lanka
Landslides
Cut slope failures
Rock Falls
Ground Subsidence
Koslanda-Naketiya
Rockfall
Subsidence of roads
,xldfõ uE; ld,fha
is¥jQ kdhhEï

Recent Landslides
in Sri Lanka
LS at Kiriwanella in Munwatte-Walapane (12 killed – 05
houses burried) ŸßjkAwe,A,
Elamula Junction- Padiyapelella
oshks,a,

Diyanilla- Road
Subsided
Helauda - 1994
 High Risk Areas

Palawela Landslide - Ratnapura

 Rainfall seasons of Sri Lanka”

•NE Monsoon
•SW Monsoon
•1st Intermonsoon
•2nd Intermonsoon
 4 CLIMATIC SEASONS IN
SRI LANKA
10.0 10.0

9.5 9.5

9.0 9.0
1400 mm 3500 mm

8.5 1200 mm 8.5 3000 mm

1000 mm 2000 mm
8.0 8.0

800 mm 1500 mm

7.5 7.5
600 mm 1000 mm

7.0 500 mm
7.0 400 mm

200 mm
200 mm
6.5
6.5

0 mm
0 mm

6.0
6.0

5.5
5.5 79.5 80.0 80.5 81.0 81.5 82.0
79.5 80.0 80.5 81.0 81.5 82.0
SOUTHWEST MONSOON (MAY TO SEPTEMBER)
NORTHEAST MONSOON (DECEMBER TO FEBRUARY)
10.0 10.0

9.5 9.5

9.0 9.0
3500 mm 3500 m

8.5 700 mm 8.5 1000 m

600 mm 800 m
8.0 8.0

500 mm 700 m

7.5 7.5
300 mm 500 m

7.0 200 mm 7.0 400 m

100 mm 200 m
6.5 6.5

0 mm 0 mm

6.0 6.0

5.5
5.5
79.5 80.0 80.5 81.0 81.5 82.0
79.5 80.0 80.5 81.0 81.5 82.0
SECOND INTERMONSOON (OCTOBER TO NOVEMBER)
FIRST INTERMONSOON (MARCH TO APRIL)
 Growth of Population and Land Man Ratio

20 3

18
2.5
16

Land Man Ratio(Per ha)

14
Population(Million)

2
12

10 1.5

8
1
6

4
0.5
2

0 0
NBRO -LSSD
1871 1906 1931 1956 2001

Population (m) Land man ratio (per ha)

nbro@sltnet.lk
 Landslides and cutting failures occurred in 2003

140
Landslides

Cutting Failures
120

100
No of landslides

80

60

40

20

NBRO -LSSD

0
Ratnapura Galle Hambantota Kalutara Matara
District
nbro@sltnet.lk
 Landslides and cutting failures occurred in 2006

60
Landslides

Cutting Failures
50

40
Number of landslides

30

20

10

NBRO -LSSD 0
a

ll e

ll a

bo
a
e

e
a
a

ra

y
ot

ph
al
ar
ur

all

nd

ga

du
ta

m
nt

at
ap

at

am
G

lu

lo
Ka

Ke

Ba
ba

M
M
tn

Ka

Co
G
m
Ra

Ha

District
nbro@sltnet.lk
 Landslides and cutting failures occurred during the past five years

250

Landslides

Cutting failures
200

150
No of failures

100

50

NBRO -LSSD 0
2003 2006 2007
Year

nbro@sltnet.lk
 Ratio of cutting failures to landslides

16.0

14.0

12.0

10.0
Ratio

8.0

6.0

4.0

2.0
NBRO -LSSD

0.0
2003 2006 2007
Year
nbro@sltnet.lk
 Badulla

N’Eliya

Ratnapura

Kegalle

Kandy

Matale

Kalutara

Galle

Matara

Hambantota
kdhhEug n,mdk fya;=
Causes of Landslides

1. iajNdjsl fya;=
Natural

2. udkj ls%hdldrlï
Human or Man made
 iajNdjsl fya;= - Natural Causes

SLOPE RANGE & CATEGORY - 25

BEDROCK GEOLOGY - 20
HYDROLOGY & DRAINAGE - 20
LAND USE PATTERN - 15
SOIL COVER - 10
LAND FORM - 10
NBRO -LSSD

nbro@sltnet.lk
kdh wk;=re wju lr.ekSfuz l%u
Methods of Mitigation

1. u. yerSu - Avoidance
2. oekqj;a lsrSu - Awareness
3. ia:djr lsrsu - Stabilization
(a) Structural methods
(b) Non- structural methods
Avoidance
LANDSLIDE HAZARD ZONATION MAP WITH
POSSIBLE PATHS, FINLAY FACTORY HAPUTHALE

Most possible
paths of landslides, which can be
initiated at the upper slope

LANDSLIDE STUDIES AND SERVICES DIVISION

NATIONAL BUILDING RESEARCH ORGANIZATION

99/1, Jawatta Road,
Colombo 5

Sept.2002
Creating awareness through

Handbooks
and

Workshops
Construction Guidelines in Landslide
Prone Areas
Hazard Mapping
3. Stabilization
Disaster comes when the last one is
forgotten
Plan ahead! Be prepared!

Thank You