COLOMBO, Aug. 28 -- Sri Lanka's Central Highlands could face sudden and devastating natural disasters similar to the recent landslides and flash floods in Nepal, former Senior Professor Atula Senaratne of the Department of Geography, University of Peradeniya, has warned.

Speaking at a press conference on Friday (28), Senaratne said the geological and geographical characteristics of several areas in Sri Lanka's Central Highlands created conditions in which major landslides could potentially block rivers and trigger sudden flash floods.

Explaining the disaster mechanism observed in Nepal, he said a sudden collapse of glaciers, ice, rock and soil in the northern mountainous region had obstructed river flows and created a massive temporary ...