The Hon. Asitha Niroshana Egoda Vithana

¶ 01 Hon. Presiding Member, I come from amidst thousands in Colombo District who have lost lives, homes and property earned over a lifetime. In Colombo, 76,839 families (294,674 persons) were displaced and there were 5 deaths; in my Kaduwela electorate, 12,101 families (40,080 persons) were displaced with 2 deaths. Nationally, over 400 lives are gone, 366 are missing, and property damage exceeds Rs. 40 billion.

¶ 02 Sri Lanka again proves it lacks a strong system and economy to withstand such natural disasters. For decades, politics tolerated and encouraged unplanned settlements and unsafe practices; the same forces now attempt to turn public anger back at the Government with camera shows and food‑packet theatrics.

¶ 03 In Kaduwela, 35 GN divisions were affected (usually about 20 in past floods). We set up 41 safe centres—unprecedented in our area—and around 4,000 families are still sheltered. People’s representatives and state institutions acted swiftly after warnings, which helped limit deaths in Colombo to five. I thank the Colombo District Secretary, the Kaduwela Divisional Secretary, all officials including Grama Niladharis and Development Officers, the Kaduwela Municipal Council Mayor and staff, and the CEB whose fast action after an electrocution incident prevented further tragedy. The tri‑forces and the DMC coordinated operations effectively.

¶ 04 Many social activists organized community kitchens and mass food distribution; I thank all such volunteers. Fisherfolk from Galle, Matara and Negombo brought their boats voluntarily to rescue strangers. I express sorrow over an incident where a young volunteer from Balapitiya was assaulted at Athurugiriya by intoxicated individuals who tried to seize his boat; I assure steps to prevent such occurrences.

¶ 05 The President’s personal leadership—late into the night, constant calls, ground‑level attention—gave us courage to dedicate ourselves, even going out in boats at night to rescue people.

¶ 06 We must reorganize the State to rebuild. Relocate people from danger zones into planned housing complexes on properly managed lands—whether in the central highlands, Kandy, Kaduwela or Modara. For months we have discussed Kelani River flood mitigation under the Prime Minister’s leadership; expert committees have been working. Using the momentum and public confidence now, we must rapidly return to normalcy and then adopt long‑term, science‑based solutions across all river basins through a well‑structured programme with all relevant officials.

¶ 07 Thank you for the time.