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by Prof. C. Suriyakumaran

The flood-affected South

A full page cover in a national newspaper has just been advertised, and held up as an example of the prompt grant of assistance/ relief, in kind and cash, by a Government set up Disaster Management Body and Programme, to the victims of the recent immense destructions by floods in the "South-South-Eastern" Zones of the country's provincial areas lying below their rain-belts.

Yet, if that were seen as the country's plan/programme for this vast area, that would be the next first 'disaster' indeed. For, most commendable as the whole 'relief' programme was recently, any long-term plan/ programme means much more than that - something which, by our natures, we never had!

What we need for the people, simply, is not giving relief - even prompt - every time, but having earliest in place a plan and programme - of work, steps and structures that will forestall, prevent, mitigate drastically, the disasters that would otherwise, as surely as anything we know, recur again, and again. They also cover not only the recent, affected, Sabaragamuwa and conjoint areas, but much more - in the Center, the West, the South, and the Eastern Zones of the "South", in a shared natural eco-system zone in these areas of the country.

One thing must be emphasized even before we take such a step. For the preparation of such a plan or programme, we must give up the mentality and practice, of straightaway getting down a 'team of experts' and proclaiming that we are setting up a plan! As I said recently, in an open letter to the LTTE leader, Prabhakaran (copied to the President and Prime Minister), when urging that we probably need a 'North East Development Model' now, away for the 'failed 50 - Year South Model', we need to be our planners and thinkers, with our experts 'on tap, not on top'! We have the expertise. They have their experts, but on tap to the locals, with all planning being our work, charge and function.

A plan for a purpose such as this, would be of course not an economic plan, but an 'Enviro - Economic Management Plan', carrying a range of ecological, natural, social and economic characters - integrated into an unified perspective plan and programme that subsumes 'prevention' rather than only 'action after the event'. All these are not as involved as they may sound. What they need, to be clear and effective is first a systemic 'natural zonal' characterization of the full area of involvement, with social, economic and other attributes detailed alongside them.

These 'zones' subject to further scrutiny would be as under the following categories:

1. (A) Rangelands (We do not have mountains of around 12 thousand feet or more, to classify them here).

(B) Watersheds
(C) Grasslands
(D) Croplands
(E) Lowlands
(F) Forestlands (at A & B and E & G)
(G) Reverines and deltas.
(H) Coastal areas and foreshore
(I) Off-shores.
(J) Regional seas (It is presumed 'oceans' are not relevant in this case).

II - Each of these will have, in classified, full 'column' - type information (as 'sheets', not lengthy essays) the following:

1. - Their ecological characters (soil structures, man-made and others)
- Their economic characters (produce et al.)
- Their human interventions so for (cultivations and their natures housing, social infrastructures; others)

2. - Areas requiring 'corrections' (and nature of the corrections)
- Areas requiring alternatives (and their nature);
- Others

3. - Their expansions potentials (in management for use; not 'non-use') (A substitution of a given cultivation with a micro forest belt, where needed, is 'use', not 'non-use').

III - Out of them, a final consolidated einviro - socio - economic plan and programme, that will call for steps (a) some that must be immediate, (b) some 'preventive' and (c) some as 'promotional' (by positive, favoured, socio-economic re-arrangement of locales of peoples and cultivations and others as may be 'consequential' or 'residual'). An exercise of great challenge, as of great community and team involvements - and satisfactions all along the way - such a plan if initiated, 'now', may be well anticipated or capable of completion within a year, and of implementation from almost immediately thereafter.

Given ill luck, we may face another disaster the next South West monsoon for which disaster preparedness is the main recourse - but from then on must surely be able to look to a safer, better, happier, South West/ South - South East Area of living for all - rich and poor. A 'SERF' fund programme, (perhaps as large as under the different 'NERF') will be essential at the time - this a truly typical bureaucratic, political preoccupation, which we are only too well used to.

Can we rise to the challenge; or will we continue in our established ways of sodden roles and episodical rushes of assistance, accompanied by ample photographic displays in the newspapers of VIP's in the forefront in insatiable urges of concern, condolences and promises?

We can only wait.

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