Needed when: Now
Duration: 1 – 6 months
Background: Since 2011 and with some success, Bridging Lanka has worked tirelessly to save the remaining lagoons (kulams) on Mannar Island from illegal encroachment which has previously led to severe flooding during the wet season of the urban area. For the past three years we are facing a new threat – severe annual flooding of other areas of Mannar Island previously free of floods. The poorly designed wind turbine project and its connecting road blocks most of the natural water channels to the sea. The result? Significant and destructive flooding that adversely affects tens of thousands leaving them homeless for months!
Role: We need a water engineer who can help us mitigate the impact of floods and protecting communities. These tasks include flood forecasting, planning and implementing flood control infrastructure, managing flood risk in these regional areas and ensuring preparedness and response during flooding events.
- Work with the Disaster Management Centre to forecast and monitor rainfall and streamflow patterns to predict potential flood events.
- Identify areas at risk and develop strategies for flood control through mapping and modelling
- Identify suitable infrastructure and structural measures to regulate water flow and prevent erosion
- Develop plans and coordinated responses to flooding events, inc evacuation, shelter and protecting buildings and cultivated areas from flood damage
- Educate communities about disaster preparedness against potential flooding