Hon. Sivagnanam Shritharan

¶ 01 I think that the Government Agent of Kilinochchi, Mr. Muralitharan, left no place untouched during this flood; he went everywhere and did his duties in every part of the district. I observed the work of Kandavalai Divisional Secretary Mr. Prundhakaran, Poonakary Divisional Secretary Mr. Ayakulan, Karachchi Divisional Secretary Mr. Mukunthan, and Pachchilaipalli Divisional Secretary Mr. Jayaseelan. One cannot but commend their work. I was born and raised in that district and represent it in Parliament. All the officials there, including the Grama Niladharis, worked with great diligence. I wish to thank them in this august House. At the same time, some of these village officers who worked so hard faced obstructions.

¶ 02 At Parantan Hindu Maha Vidyalaya, the Grama Niladhari Mr. Thiyagarasa Kalairupan, who was serving the people, was assaulted by a Member of Parliament. Please take note of this, because it is one of the worst incidents in history: a Member of Parliament attacking a public official working under arduous conditions. I strongly condemn this. They have lodged a complaint at the police station. I urge this House to ensure a proper inquiry against that Member of Parliament.

¶ 03 My own village, Vattakkachchi—where I was born, raised, and played—was like an island for almost three days. The people of Vattakkachchi, Ramanathapuram, and Kalmadunagar were surrounded by water from Iranamadu and Kalmadu for almost three days and could not leave. They had no electricity for six days. Despite all this, the people acted with patience and composure.

¶ 04 It is not only them; people in many parts of the district have been affected today. I say this as someone who stood on the ground and saw it directly. Many areas in Mullaitivu, Mannar, and Vavuniya districts have been severely hit by floodwaters. In Jaffna district, although there was heavy flooding, many people did not relocate, but floodwaters entered homes. The island region—Valikamam and Vaddukoddai—are low-lying areas. In Chavakachcheri, floodwaters were high in several low-lying areas. Some parts of Vadamarachchi were submerged. The situation has gravely impacted the people.

¶ 05 In Trincomalee, the entire Verugal Divisional Secretariat Division became a floodplain; 5,000 families were displaced. Our Muslim brothers in areas such as Muttur and Kinniya were severely affected as well. Our people in places like Cheddikulam in Vavuniya district also suffered serious impacts. In Batticaloa, areas including Siththandi and many others faced similar damage. Although Ampara did not suffer major impacts, the Northern and Eastern districts experienced this flood disaster significantly.

¶ 06 Hon. Presiding Member, this is a very great calamity! We do not want to politicize it, nor do we see it as something caused by the Government. The 24th is the tsunami remembrance day. When the tsunami struck this country, tens of thousands of lives were lost. At that time, the LTTE provided full support in areas they administered in the North and East. The Sea Tigers under Commander Soosai led the recovery of bodies, under the leadership of Mr. Prabhakaran. I, then a district branch member of the Sri Lanka Red Cross, worked as a volunteer in Pachchilaippalli and Vadamarachchi East, witnessing the worst of the tsunami firsthand.

¶ 07 Yesterday, I visited many areas in the hill country. When I spoke to people there, they cried while telling me their fears. Victims of landslides had to bury their dead children and family members together, scenes that still tighten my chest. This is a huge calamity. You did not cause it; we do not blame you. After the tsunami, ways to detect signs of tsunamis were explored. In 2006, there was discussion and approval to bring in a radar for storms and rain. Yet even now, if such a major natural disaster occurs, please think: why were we not prepared?

¶ 08 “The more you destroy nature, the more you will be destroyed by nature” was the LTTE’s guiding maxim. Large posters with messages like “Do not cut trees; protect nature; preserve forests” were put up everywhere. Based on this, they even had a large environmental wing and planted trees. After the war, the Government that came cut down many of those trees using its forces. Nature has been damaged. Nature’s fury is a major reason for this great disaster in Sri Lanka today. When the Victoria reservoir was built, an engineer warned J.R. Jayewardene that it was risky, but he proceeded for political reasons, they write. Be that as it may, we need reservoirs and electricity generation. But today’s situation shows how nature’s fury, when we destroy it, affects people.

¶ 09 Why is Sri Lanka’s disaster management system not functioning properly? Hon. Presiding Member, the Disaster Management Centre’s reports are released only in Sinhala and English. Even the notices from Colombo were in Sinhala and English, not Tamil. Hon. Members, please note: Sinhalese, Tamils, Muslims, and Burghers—all are affected. Tamil and Sinhala are official languages. Yet disaster-related reports are not in Tamil, so information does not reach people properly.

¶ 10 People today pay close attention to the views of Prof. Nagamuthu Pradeepan of the University of Jaffna’s Department of Geography; social media shows that his guidance over the last four years has saved lives. He warned about this disaster too, but no one heeded it. Even now, he notes that small quakes—2.4 to 2.7 on the Richter scale—due to plate movements between India and Sri Lanka could sometimes escalate. He said heavy rains would begin yesterday; as I speak, it is pouring. Yet the Disaster Management Centre hesitates to issue proper alerts. Why have you not properly involved experts like Prof. Pradeepan and built a governmental mechanism to forecast and warn about such disasters?

¶ 11 We can praise the Hon. President for personally meeting and assessing situations. That is his duty as Executive President, elected by the people. He is doing what he must, and as far as I can see, to the extent possible. But more compassion and improvements are needed. We must have proper radar infrastructure to detect natural disasters in advance and a competent team of experts. Why has this not been done all this time? Why did the Sri Lankan Government not first announce this looming disaster? India issued multiple advisories that it could affect India, the Indian Ocean, and Sri Lanka, but here no one spoke. Why did you not warn early?

¶ 12 The Government bears full responsibility to protect the people. You have fulfilled it to some extent, but there are shortcomings. This is not a matter to dismiss with a simple “sorry.” What solutions will you implement? How will you prevent such disasters from devastating Sri Lanka again? What is the permanent remedy? Please contemplate these.

¶ 13 Many countries extended assistance. India’s rescue teams came and saved people even in hard-to-reach places. I must thank Indian High Commissioner Mr. Santosh Jha in this House for their swift initiatives and willingness to help during the crisis. Prime Minister Narendra Modi and External Affairs Minister Dr. Jaishankar took decisive steps. Their role was very important. They even sent relief materials by ship. The Maldives also assisted. The UK provided GBP 900,000; the EU also provided aid. These are essential to deliver relief and assistance to affected people. No one denies that. But aid must reach the right beneficiaries at the right time, selected fairly according to impact. Flood impact is not only water entering houses. It washed away belongings and killed livestock—goats, cattle, chickens—destroying livelihoods. Government aid must be delivered properly, with proper planning, not just to clean houses and wells or repair roads. Those are important and must be done quickly, but there also must be a strategy to restore and upgrade livelihoods.

¶ 14 Today, numerous paddy fields are destroyed; farmers weep. They need compensation and insurance payouts. Last year in Kilinochchi, when I asked here about the devastation, there was no proper answer, and victims did not receive compensation. Now the entire country is worse hit—especially the agricultural districts of Batticaloa, Mannar, Mullaitivu, Kilinochchi, and Vavuniya. These farmers are the backbone of our economy. Their courage is depleted. What is your next step to lift them up? Onion and vegetable cultivators have been hit. In Karthigai season, pepper is cultivated in Achchuveli and Idaikaddu in Jaffna and in the island areas, along with tobacco and onions; these have all been badly affected by the storm. There must be fair, practical plans for them. We are not trying to blame officials or you during a calamity. Mistakes occurred; acknowledge and correct them. Tell us what went wrong and how you will remedy it.

¶ 15 In the hill country, whole families perished in landslides, with no one left to report their losses. During the war, due to a government-fired missile, three families in Bharathipuram, Kilinochchi, died entirely with no one left to testify; similarly now in the hill country. These must be identified and addressed. The suffering in the hill country is severe. Assistance must reach them with humanity. The Government must strive to grant them proper land and housing, and not only salary increases but efforts to change their lives for the better. I conclude with that appeal.