Abstract:
Landslide hazard makes severe tragic situation in hill country areas each year. Geomorphological, geological
and hydrological factors mainly effects to the occurrence of landslides. But when it comes with excessive
rainfall, the damage goes double. With the rapid development, unstable hill slope areas are under the
pressures of increasing population and their activities. Hence human activities such as deforestation,
cultivation, unplanned land use practices, etc. combine to create landslide hazard to make severe disasters.
Especially during the last two decades in the mountain slopes of hill country vanished hundreds of human
lives and their valuable assets. Rehabilitation and reconstruction of landslide areas is not an easy task to
fulfill. Socio-economic vulnerability assessment for a landslide represent the underlying factors which
influence a community’s ability to deal with, and recover from the damage associated with landslides. Also
these assessments are giving pre-preparedness ideas for the community to deal with the hazards. Considering
these facts this study was about to assess how social and economic conditions strongly influence the
vulnerability factors for landslide hazard and asses the population capacity for landslide. Dodamwatta Grama
Niladhari Division, situated in Badulla district has selected as the study area and the area had faced main
landslides in 2001 and 2011. The main socio economic factors calculated qualitatively, using expertise
weighting method and using United Nations Multi hazard risk assessment guidance criteria. Other sub socio
economic or sub vulnerable factors have weighed according to three standers that created by the researchers
using field data requirements through the questionnaire. Population capacity rates examined using
questionnaire. The ultimate goal of this study is preparing a socio economically vulnerability map for
landslide in the study area and identified socio economically vulnerable areas (high, medium, low) to a
landslide disaster through vulnerability map. Prepared map shows, north western part is socio economically
highly vulnerability for landslide disaster.
