A costly lapse which calls for probing

Just when the public began to believe that the Meteorological Department was predicting fluctuations in the weather with remarkable accuracy, we are being given to understand that it faltered very badly last Friday, when the turbulence which enveloped parts of the county's Southern coast went unforeseen. We do not intend to take on the role of accuser in this matter which has cost the country very dearly in terms of scores of lost human lives, but call on the authorities to probe the reasons for the seeming lapse and to ascertain who was responsible for the serious omission, with a view to subjecting them to a process of accountability.

The environmental disasters occurring around the world with unsettling rapidity should impress on one and all that the stability of natural conditions could no longer be taken for granted. These disasters have reached cataclysmic proportions and no country or nationality could be considered as absolutely safe from these mega furies of nature, which, today, could be categorized along with conflict and war and the need for the equitable distribution of 'bread', as among the primary concerns of humanity.

One would have thought this country would be on the alert constantly for the horrors of nature after the monumental tragedy which was the tsunami of 2004. One would have thought the agencies concerned would never have let down their guard. The turbulence of November 25th has proved us wrong. Apparently, major vagaries of the weather could still take us by storm and to the considerable detriment of the country too.

While the minister concerned has promised the country an investigation into this latest lapse in predicting weather crises, we would like to take the position that everyone responsible for the negligence in question, if established beyond doubt, should be held to account. The current spell of bad weather was some time in coming and one cannot claim that it came like the proverbial bolt from the blue. The public expects the authorities concerned to keep an eagle eye on local weather patterns 24 hours of the day and if this was done the devastation could have been mitigated to a degree. But this was not to be and it is possible that a person or persons in positions of responsibility were 'napping.'

Unfortunately, despite the sense of urgency with which the state is going about the business of developing this country, some sections are stuck in the bad old habit of 'napping' or going through life at a leisurely, untroubled pace. While, the state is bent on taking Sri Lanka into the 21st century and all that the phrase connotes, there are some who are sunk in a mire of slothfulness and smug complacency in the belief that all will be well in this country without their having to take any pains.

As we mentioned earlier, we are not seeing ourselves as accusers. The truth will need to be unraveled systematically and we are quite aware that simple answers would not be forthcoming to our questions because some of our state agencies are complex organizations. Nevertheless, we believe that besides conducting a thoroughgoing probe, the state should galvanize the entirety of the state machinery into action in these times of accelerated development.

It need hardly be said that the Meteorology Department and connected institutions would be playing an increasingly prominent and vital role in the development process of this country.

This is on account of the fact that the natural environment and development are closely intertwined. After all, we must have sustainable development and it's the organizations linked with the natural environment who could advise the country on whether it is having sustainable development or otherwise. Besides, day-to-day development work cannot be carried out in the absence of fool-proof systems which monitor the weather patterns of the country.

Thus, the totality of the state sector must be alerted to the need to back the state fully and dynamically in the onward development march of this country. Those lagging behind in this race would need to be asked to live up to the country's expectations or be taken to task.