The Hon. Sunil Rathnasiri

¶ 01 Hon. Presiding Member, I express condolences to our beloved Tri‑Forces personnel who gave their lives to save others, and to all our citizens who perished in this calamity.

¶ 02 There are two types of reservoirs—natural and man‑made. Ours are mainly man‑made, of which two types exist: irrigation reservoirs and flood control reservoirs. We have built none specifically for flood control. Our average annual rainfall is about 2,000 mm, but in this disaster 400–500 mm fell within 4–5 hours in places, exceeding reservoir capacities and creating flood waves through villages. The Opposition alleges sluice gates were not opened, etc.—a false narrative. Our engineers prioritized protecting bunds; if a bund breaches, the disaster is far worse.

¶ 03 As an MP for Polonnaruwa, I note that about 11,300 families and nearly 40,000 persons were displaced. A Member claimed only LKR 80 million was allocated to Polonnaruwa; in fact, substantial funds were provided. LKR 228 million was allocated to give LKR 25,000 per damaged house for initial cleaning; a further LKR 27 million to Divisional Secretaries for cooked food, dry rations, and camp management.

¶ 04 Someone said ruling party MPs were not visible. Perhaps they didn’t see us because they went to one or two camps to weep for the cameras. We did not do media shows or Facebook antics. Our duty was to ensure timely meals, medicines, sanitation, and to provide political leadership to support officials. Even now we continue.

¶ 05 At Elahera, the anicut was washed away; people gathered with our machinery to rebuild with sandbags. At Kumara Ella, hills collapsed and damaged spans between two bridges; we will repair within 14 days. Polonnaruwa is regaining breath.