| Sumario: | The National Workshop on Validation of the Early Action Protocol for Flood Hazard, conducted in Matara District, brought together government agencies, technical institutions, and humanitarian actors to refine community-developed anticipatory action plans for floods in the Nilwala River Basin. The Anticipatory Action (AA) Protocols were developed in 20 Grama Niladhari Divisions in Malimboda and Thihagoda, with the support of the community, village disaster management committees, and local stakeholders. The workshop and the AA protocol development, supported by Save the Children and IWMI, had prepared sector-specific AA Protocols (AAPs) for Agriculture, Livestock, Health, Education, and WASH. Opening remarks emphasized the urgency of shifting from a reactive response to proactive, forecast-based action in one of Sri Lanka’s most flood-prone districts. Presentations from NDRSC on flood inundation mapping and from IWMI on the AWARE Platform highlighted how risk information, early warning, and financing triggers can support timely early actions. Using an interactive “gallery walk” method, experts from the DMC, NDRSC, sectoral departments, universities, and NGOs reviewed triggers, early actions, roles, and timelines in each protocol, ensuring alignment with institutional mandates and national disaster management frameworks. The workshop concluded with validated, technically strengthened community protocols, clear next steps for sectoral refinement, and a consensus to develop early action protocols for other regions of Matara and to integrate protocols into the AWARE platform for easy coordination.
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