The Hon. Arun Hemachandra - Deputy Minister of Foreign Affairs and Foreign Employment

¶ 01 Mr. Speaker, thank you for the opportunity to join this important debate.

¶ 02 About a week ago a major natural disaster occurred due to a Bengal cyclonic system. Approximately 140,000 families—over 470,000 people—were affected.

¶ 03 Order, please! The Hon. Speaker is leaving the Chair; the Hon. Deputy Speaker will preside.

¶ 04 Whereupon THE HON. SPEAKER left the Chair, and THE HON. DEPUTY SPEAKER took the Chair.

¶ 05 Hon. Deputy Speaker, in that situation, there were fatalities: one in Badulla District, 11 in Ampara, two in Puttalam, one in Trincomalee, one in Vavuniya, and one in Jaffna. On behalf of the House, I express condolences to their families.

¶ 06 As a Government, we intervened to the maximum. I will present details for Trincomalee and Batticaloa. In Trincomalee, 140 GN divisions were affected; about 4,249 families (12,654 persons). Nineteen temporary camps were operated; 1,129 families sheltered with relatives. Two houses were destroyed and 89 partially damaged. Isolated areas included Kinniya Upparu, Sembiyan Kuḍah, Mailappanchenai, Moodvattuvan, Kandal Kadu; and in Muttur, Arafat Nagar; and in Kuchchaveli, Kallanpattuwa. Government provided necessary facilities. About 158 roads were damaged; losses of around Rs. 220.4 million were reported.

¶ 07 In Batticaloa, 3,561 families were affected; 18,655 stayed with relatives; about 2,910 persons stayed briefly in 56 welfare camps. 129 houses were reported damaged. The tri‑forces and police intervened swiftly to rescue the public. Some shortcomings occurred, including the incident referred to by Hon. Rishad Bathiudeen in Ampara. The Minister of Justice addressed it yesterday in Parliament. While shortcomings may have existed, overall the Government intervened effectively and mitigated losses.

¶ 08 Sri Lanka, due to its location, is a disaster hotspot, particularly for floods. We must build robust mechanisms. Note that the NPP Government assumed office after 14 November, following the President’s election on 21 September and a quick general election. Only now, in line with our policy statement, are we getting the chance to work.

¶ 09 We have obtained recommendations from sectoral experts. The common issues include: poor drainage systems and maintenance; unsafe bridges; blockages in waterways (including due to invasive species like Salvinia); unauthorized structures obstructing water flow; encroachments in reservations; and the state of minor tanks. Experts say they tried to rectify these but were hindered, notably by political interference.

¶ 10 From my visits with Hon. Roshan Akmeemana MP, we saw many problems that could have been prevented—drains built but not flowing; tanks existing without spill connectivity; spill channels blocked; bridges requiring rehabilitation neglected while funds went to other projects; and rampant illegal sand mining driven by political interference. These arose under past administrations. Our time is short to reverse it, but we will address these decisively.

¶ 11 Some have hurled mud at the Government, assuming our role is merely to distribute relief after floods. Relief is part of our duty, but not the whole. Our “Red Star Relief Force” has long served in disasters—even during the 2004 tsunami, when state mechanisms faltered, they removed bodies in villages. Now that a movement with such a relief force forms the Government, we will answer past irregularities and corruption, and provide sound solutions to natural disasters.

¶ 12 We are working on comprehensive policies and necessary reforms, including updating the Sri Lanka Disaster Management Act, No. 13 of 2005, integrating technical expertise, adopting new technology, and ensuring adequate funding. Disaster response is not only a government task; we will also mobilize non‑state organizations and communities, providing training and knowledge so society joins effectively.

¶ 13 Hon. Deputy Speaker, particularly in recent weeks, critics said some places lacked drainage, bridges were poorly placed, and development projects worsened flooding. Many such legacy issues must be fixed. Time constraints prevent more detail, but we need legal and structural changes across the country.

¶ 14 Please allow one more minute. As the National People’s Power, we will drive a constructive national plan for disaster management and invite all to join. Sri Lanka is a disaster‑prone country; we must prepare proactively. While we cannot take responsibility for everything that occurred before November 14, going forward we will take preventive measures. Let us all work together. Thank you.