Fourth disaster control confab on Wednesday

Chamikara Weerasinghe

Officials attached to the Disaster Management Ministry, National Building Research Organization, Meteorology Department, Government Agents, Provincial Chief Ministers and Ministers will meet President Mahinda Rajapaksa on Wednesday (08) to discuss about the country’s disaster reduction activities as the parties will hold the fourth meeting of the National Council for Disaster Management(NCDM) at the Presidential Secretariat.

The Council expects to get President Mahinda Rajapaksa’s approval for several regulations which will restrict building construction and development activities in landslide prone divisions, the Daily News learns. The President is the chairman of the NCDM and the Prime Minister the Deputy Chairman.

All buildings, including houses had to get approval of the National Building Research Organization (NBRO) before commencing such activity in areas vulnerable to landslides.

The NCDM is the highest legislative body for disaster risk reduction in Sri Lanka.

NBRO Director General W B J Fernando said they prepared a paper in this regard following the last meeting of the Council in March last year, which was submitted to President Mahinda Rajapaksa.

The Council members, including District Secretaries and Assistant Government agents have officially agreed to it, he said. Fernando said the situation of landslides is likely to be taken more seriously at the Council presided over by President Rajapaksa.

The President has already allocated an additional Rs. 10 million to carry out NBRO landslide investigations, he said. We will have these funds from next year.

We have been carrying out our surveys so far on our own and identified landslide prone areas in almost every district, he said.

We have also prepared landslide hazard identification maps on the directions of the President NBRO will hand them over them to the President prior to the Council meeting.

Asked if the situation of landslides in the country was serious, Fernando said the situation could be brought under control if not prevented.

It can be further controlled and damages can be minimized by enforcing regulations to restrict constructions in disaster prone areas.

Heavy spells of rain are posing a threat of landslides. We have issued warnings to relevant GA divisions in the Kandy and the Badulla districts about several areas that could be devoured by landslides if the rains should continue.

The Authorities have issued “first level warning” to the public yesterday following heavy rains on Wednesday evening and on the following morning which was reportedly nearly 100 mm in the Kandy and the Badulla districts. The Rains were at 100 mm in the Kegalle district.

The land slips are likely to move if the rains should increase. However it is at manageable levels. As at present, he said.

Even the slightest movements of slips are being monitored by our geologists, said Fernando. NBRO warned the public in the Kegalle yesterday to refrain from using Ella–Wellawaya road, Beragala-Haputale road, Kandy-Nuwara Eliya and Kandy-Mahiyangana road.