Social Geology and Landslide Disaster Risk Reduction in Sri Lanka

Abstract

Landslide disaster risk reduction is presently a challenging task facing by Sri Lankan geologists. Increasing trend of population growth in Sri Lanka has adversely affected the stability of central highland due to various human activities. Among them establishment of human settlements and change in land use pattern have become a serious issue in triggering land instabilities in central highland of the country. National Building Research Oragnisation which is the main focal point in land slide disaster risk reduction in Sri Lanka has taken valuable and timely needed actions including preparation of landslide hazard zonation maps, early warnings and mitigations. Though the landslide is a geological phenomenon, it is highly interacted with human societies. Hence managing the issues arising with the landslide occurrence should be addressed with a sociological approach. This new approach is known as Socio Geological approach which is discussed here.