🌊 Nepal Flash Floods: Climate Risk Warnings for Sri Lanka's Infrastructure

• Disaster Context: A devastating flash flood in Nepal, linked to potential glacial melt and natural dam failures, has claimed over 500 lives, highlighting urgent risks from climate-induced hazards in high-altitude and river-valley settlements. • Infrastructure & High-Risk Zones: - Concerns raised over Sri Lanka's aging network of man-made reservoirs, including major systems like Mahaweli and Kelani. - Weak enforcement of riverbank and canal setback laws has led to unauthorized settlements along critical waterways, elevating severe flood and landslide risks. - Recalls the catastrophic 1986 Kantale Tank failure as a precedent for the economic and human costs of water infrastructure breaches. • Key Policy Recommendations: - Conduct structural integrity assessments of all national dams and reservoirs, focusing on mountainous and densely populated zones. - Enforce strict building regulations near waterways without political interference. - Strengthen national disaster mitigation frame: update hazard maps, test emergency evacuation plans, and upgrade early warning systems. • Economic Implications: Unmanaged climate risks pose major threats to construction, real estate, and national budget expenditure tied to disaster recovery and public infrastructure repairs.