Abstract

As a developing nation in the Third World, Sri Lanka faces numerous crises, among which environmental challenges occupy a prominent position. Natural disasters, which fall within these environmental crises, have become direct obstacles to achieving sustainable development. Among such disasters, floods can be identified as the second most significant hazard after drought, which is one of the major natural disasters affecting Sri Lanka. Flood disasters may arise not only from natural environmental processes but also as consequences of human activities. Therefore, it is essential to pay attention to the power structures that emerge within disaster contexts, their functioning, and the interventions influenced by these structures. Accordingly, the central research problem of this study is: “How do power relations shape the production of the flood disaster context and influence its operational dynamics?” The primary objective, therefore, is to analyze how power relations contribute to the creation of flood-prone conditions and how such relations serve to either mitigate or exacerbate disaster impacts. A Grama Niladhari Division subject to frequent flooding within the Kolonnawa Divisional Secretariat in the Colombo District was selected as the research site. Under purposive sampling, data were collected from a sample of forty respondents using a mixed-methods approach that combined questionnaire surveys and interviews. As observed in previous disaster situations, political power configurations undergo significant transformation during disaster events, and the media often emerges as a dominant power apparatus. From a post-structuralist perspective, disaster contexts also provide evidence for the notion that knowledge functions as a medium through which power is produced, while power, in turn, becomes a mechanism through which knowledge is regulated. Furthermore, both external power structures operating during and after disaster events, and internal power structures emerging within disaster-affected communities, contribute in diverse ways both positively and negatively to disaster management processes. Conversely, the relief phase of disasters often becomes a context in which political actors reconstruct their symbols and public images, sometimes generating fabricated realities; thus, disaster situations frequently become politicized arenas. Overall, this analysis demonstrates that disasters may be produced through political processes, just as political processes may emerge and evolve within disaster contexts.