A local perspective of the socio-environmental vulnerability to environmental pollution and economic crises: a case of locals around a coal power plant in Sri Lanka

People are vulnerable to increasing environmental pollution and unprecedented economic changes in countries like Sri Lanka. Development projects such as coal power plants have exaggerated the vulnerability of the communities to the threats of environmental pollution coupled with economic crises. This study is to present the concurrent socio-environmental issues related to the largest power plant in Sri Lanka—the Norochcholai coal power plant (NCPP). The vulnerability of the communities to environmental pollution due to the coal power plant and the prevailing economic crisis was studied. Results revealed that communities are extremely exposed to threats and are highly sensitive to poverty and yet they have no adequate sets of strategies to cope and/or adapt to threats or increase their resilience. This study suggests a human-centric approach focused on sustainable and autonomous adaptation strategies for the communities in the vicinity of the NCPP and to address their rising vulnerability to the impacts for both the NCPP and the prevailing economic crisis.