Post disaster management is crucial

• However, it also must be said that relief measures in flood affected areas are taking place somewhat swiftly this time compared to  2016,  when floods hit valleys of Kelani Ganga and Nilwala Ganga

Around 7000 people  affected by floods and landslides caused by  Cyclone Ditwah which made landfall in Sri Lanka on November 27 are said to be still staying in welfare centres,  while over 6000 houses have been completely destroyed. 
The majority of people affected by the floods have returned to their homes,  except landslide-hit people who lost their homes. Those who  escaped death when their houses were covered by earth,  or when their houses sank hundreds of metres downhill  have lost their properties along with their loved ones. Everything they owned disappeared without a trace. 
Government has announced various relief and recovery measures for people affected  by the floods and landslides, most of which are yet to be implemented. However, it also must be said that relief measures in flood affected areas are taking place somewhat swiftly this time compared to  2016,  when floods hit valleys of Kelani Ganga and Nilwala Ganga. Authorities took more than a month to clear the debris then,  whereas some roads have already been cleaned this time. Main roads between major cities in the hill country which have been disrupted due to landslides have been manageably restored. 
The purpose of the initial payment of Rs. 25,000 made to the disaster victims is misleading. It is officially meant for the cleaning of the houses, whereas majority of flood victims have almost cleaned their houses when the officials reached out to them to collect applications for the payment. Officials could not have done so before as they had to wait for a considerable number of people who left homes to return. And many Grama Niladharis who are handling the matter at the grass root level had also been affected by the same disaster. 
There seems to be a contradiction in the government’s resettlement plan for the disaster victims. President Anura Kumara Dissanayake stated in Parliament that people would not be allowed to resettle in places endangered by possible disasters. It is also reported that the government has instructed  District Secretaries to find alternative lands for the people who do not have a space to build houses. At the same time,  the government has announced that owners of houses  destroyed by the disaster would be paid Rs. 5 million to rebuild houses which sometimes may  have situated in an  area unsuitable for human habitation. 
Ultimately, some people would be resettled in safer areas,  while others would be allowed to rebuild houses in the same place where they had their houses earlier. If the funding for the rebuilding of houses is a temporary measure, it would not be a problem as they could be resettled in safer areas later.
It is better if the authorities revisit their records on the failures on their part in the aftermath of the 2016 flood disaster and several major landslide disasters in the recent years. The delay in clearing the debris from  flood affected areas then resulted in a rapid surge of dengue in the country last time. This seems to be a least talked-about subject this time.
In spite of relative swiftness in the disposal of garbage this time with many state institutions that possess machinery to use for the purpose assisting the local government bodies, it might take weeks to finish the job as mountains of garbage are piled in front of each house in flood hit areas. Therefore, a similar epidemic would have to be expected in the coming days, thus, the healthcare preparedness is also a must now, going by the past experience.  

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