The Hon. Wasantha Samarasinghe

¶ 01 There could be conditions for storms to develop, but if they subside we will face a dry season. We have already forecast about a 15% reduction in rainfall. Therefore, we must prepare; if farmers’ cultivations are damaged, insurance will have to be paid. These are the realities.

¶ 02 We regret the Opposition’s attempts to distort the present situation. Knowing the scale of this disaster, continuing to make baseless accusations is shameful. This is the period of the greatest rainfall in our history. Never before has rain fallen like this. For the first time, the whole of Sri Lanka was affected simultaneously by a natural disaster. People across the country suffered; we lost close to 700 lives and hundreds are missing. For those who suffered, we, as a country, have taken the maximum possible measures to ensure justice and relief. The Opposition’s conduct in exploiting this is wrong. Stop this wrongdoing and at least now join in doing what you can to lift the country out of this situation. Instead of just spreading fear and lies, help where you can. They are creating fear and falsehoods, lying about alleged crimes.

¶ 03 Madam Deputy Chairperson of Committees, after such disasters, diseases can spread, and we have the responsibility of resettling affected people. From the agriculture side, a serious problem has arisen. We must focus on food security. Roads must be cleared and reopened. Tanks must be repaired. That is why I began my remarks with these priorities.

¶ 04 To the Opposition claim that relief was not given to affected people, look back at what you did when you governed and what you provided under your administrations. President Anura Dissanayake told Parliament that we would provide the maximum possible assistance during this calamity. The Opposition now points to minor issues in some places. Issues can arise: there can be weaknesses or delays by some Grama Niladharis or Divisional Secretaries. However, from the time we began, up to today—19 December—we have effectively worked for about 20 days. The flood conditions lasted until the 30th of last month. Over roughly 20 days we undertook a massive operation. Some Opposition MPs tried to belittle this. They do not go to the villages. They cannot say nothing was done. When some went and tried to lie, people rejected it. We have stated, as far as possible, what has been provided.

¶ 05 Madam Deputy Chairperson of Committees, some in the Opposition criticized tank repair. Tanks are the lifeblood of our farming communities. When a village tank breaches, a farmer feels as if he lost everything. A tank is not just an embankment—it is tied to a culture. Villages rose with their tanks; village economies formed around them. People live 365 days a year with the tank—fishing, plucking flowers, bathing morning and evening, washing clothes, watering livestock, diverting water for cultivation. Tanks are integral to our lives.

¶ 06 In Anuradhapura District, over 630 tanks were breached. We cut some spillways. In some places, farmers cut the weir, deepened the downstream channels to stop breaches. Farmers laboured, in pouring rain and storms, to save their tanks. The nation owes them gratitude. They are doing it so people have rice and vegetables tomorrow. Hon. Gayantha, some MPs claimed piling sandbags is not the way to repair tanks. I say: come and see how a breached tank is actually repaired. At one tank in Anuradhapura, we stopped the damage by placing 18,000 sandbags. To repair 65 tanks so far, more than 150,000 sandbags have been used. We must salute the tri-forces, Police, Civil Security and all who contributed nationwide. Villagers cooked from their own rice and vegetables, brought manioc and other food to feed those working, and joined to fill sandbags to restore their tanks.

¶ 07 Why? We are in the Maha season. We must store rainwater now. Seedlings were planted 3–4 weeks ago; they will need water ahead. Not only that: we had not 500,000 hectares but 630,000 hectares prepared. This year’s target is 840,000 hectares. There were also lands prepared for inter-season crops; some of these were destroyed. Total paddy land affected amounts to about 106,000 hectares. Including all cultivated land, around 840,000 hectares are involved; roughly 15% was damaged. Of the 106,000 hectares affected, more than 80,000 hectares can be replanted. For example, in Anuradhapura about 20,000 hectares of cultivated land were completely damaged; about 17,000 hectares can be replanted, and the rest cannot because the soil has been scoured and fields are filled with silt and debris. That is why the Government provided Rs. 150,000 per hectare—not arbitrarily, but to allow those who can to replant, and for those who cannot, to sustain their lives.

¶ 08 The Opposition does not feel the pain of a farmer who treated his tank like his life, his family, who saw his community’s unity formed around that tank, and then lost it. If they had gone to rebuild a tank, placed sandbags, and laboured with the people, they would have felt that pain. Since they did not, they do not understand. Madam Deputy Chairperson, in rebuilding the country, Rajarata’s tanks are vital. It is not just about sandbags—hold the water any way possible and protect the tanks, because people must eat this Maha. Many village tanks can only be used in the Maha; we cannot store enough for Yala. If we cultivate in Yala in these places, we cannot restore the tanks to capture water for the next Maha. So, cultivate Maha now, skip the coming Yala if needed, repair tanks, and collect water for the next Maha. That is what farmers are preparing to do.

¶ 09 As Trade Minister and together with the Agriculture Minister, at the Food Policy and Security Committee we reviewed rice production. With the current cultivation, there will be no overall rice shortage. But there are specifics: 4-month varieties like Samba and Keeri Samba; 3.5-month Keeri Samba seed is not available. Therefore, if a shortage occurs, it may be in Keeri Samba and Samba. There will be no shortage in red rice and Nadu (short-duration paddy).

¶ 10 Significant damage also occurred in other crops: about 10,000 hectares of big onion were damaged; 2,011 hectares of potato; 1,188 hectares of green chili; 2,019 hectares of another key crop; and so on across all commodities. Some of these cannot be replanted now—for example, it is too late for big onion; it would be exposed to rain.

¶ 11 As a Government, we have provided all required relief: for fishers’ boats, farmers’ fields, traders’ shops, people’s homes, schoolchildren’s books. Rs. 25,000 for schoolbooks, Rs. 25,000 for house cleaning, Rs. 50,000 for household equipment, etc. Today’s Supplementary Estimate is to provide such assistance, and we will continue to do so.

¶ 12 There are roads that cannot yet be rebuilt. In the Wilachchiya–Bogaswewa area of the North Central Province, about one kilometre of road has collapsed to a depth of about eight feet. To temporarily restore it would require more than 3,000 tons of soil. Our District Disaster Management Committee, with the Governor, District Secretary, and Chief Secretary, decided to do temporary repairs; otherwise, people cannot reach their villages. Having repaired tanks and roads and delivered relief, we are now moving from temporary measures to permanent solutions. The Opposition’s constant sniping serves no purpose.

¶ 13 Please conclude, Madam Deputy Chairperson of Committees:

¶ 14 I will conclude in a moment.

¶ 15 To those in the Opposition who spoke irresponsibly, go and see how destructive Kelani Ganga was; go and see how bad the Malwathu Oya, Mahaweli, and Deduru Oya were. Faced with the greatest natural calamity in our history, the Mālīmā Government provided swift relief in an unprecedented manner. Going forward, uniting the people, the security forces, public servants including Grama Niladharis, the Sri Lankan diaspora, and friendly foreign nations, we will rebuild this country irreversibly. I invite all to join these efforts. Thank you.