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Sri Lanka earlier know as Ceylon is an island situated south of India and is separated from the Indian subcontinent by a strip of shallow water, the Palk Strait which at its narrowest is about 40 km wide. Because of its shape and location it is called the teardrop of India. It has the Gulf of Mannar to its west, Indian Ocean to its south and the Bay of Bengal to its east. It is located between 7 00 N, 81 00 E covering an area of 65,610 sq km. Sri Lanka is mountainous in the central region and all rivers originate from the central hills and flow down to the sea. Pindurutalagala, is the highest peak about 8281 feet in height. The main rivers are Mahaweli, the longest rising from the western side south of Trincomalee, Dadaru and Yan.

Sri Lanka is prone to floods, cyclones, droughts and landslides. Floods and landslides are more localized and seasonal while droughts and cyclones are more widespread and occasional.

The main causes for the frequent occurrence of floods are heavy seasonal rainfall, deforestation, lack of flood protection schemes, unplanned development activities, etc.

Floods are an annual occurrence and are concentrated in the river basin in the southwestern region of the country bringing along with it tremendous damage to life and livestock.

Mainly occurring in the hilly regions of central Sri Lanka particularly in the Nuwara Eliya and Badulla districts and to some extent in the Kalytara, Matale, Kegalle and the Ratnapura district.

The country has experienced droughts of varying duration and impact with changing weather patterns, populations, deforestation and the resultant adverse effects on the ecological balance. They follow an irregular pattern and are mostly unpredictable. The areas vulnerable to droughts are in the northern, northeastern and southern provinces.

Sri Lanka lies in the periphery of the tropical cyclone belt; therefore the impact of the cyclones is in comparison to other island nations less severe.

Source: "Disaster and disaster preparedness mechanisms in the Sri Lanka", paper prepared by ADPC with the intervention of Christie Silva.