The Hon. Anton Jayakody - Deputy Minister of Environment

¶ 01 Thank you, Madam Deputy Chairperson. We are discussing the extension of Emergency Regulations under the Public Security Ordinance. Sri Lanka has often been governed under emergencies, including under previous administrations of today’s Opposition, during which protests, media, and political opponents were suppressed. They now imagine the same motives. In contrast, we extend the Emergency purely to assist the public affected by Cyclone “Ditwah”—nothing else.

¶ 02 The Opposition’s role includes organizing protests; they struggled even to do that. Recently, during the graduate teacher development issue, the Opposition tried to intervene and even purported to sign with blood—fortunately that did not happen.

¶ 03 To appreciate why Emergency was proclaimed, one must grasp the depth of “Ditwah’s” impact. The 2004 tsunami, triggered by a magnitude 9.2 quake near Indonesia, killed nearly 30,000 here but was largely limited to coastal zones and was influenced by tidal conditions. Its damages were about USD 1.28 billion. “Ditwah” has caused roughly four times that magnitude of loss nationwide. It severely affected 22 districts, and impacted the remaining three to some extent. Classified as a Category 1–2 system, had it intensified to Category 4–5, devastation would have been far greater. Very heavy rainfall—over 600 mm in some places—fell across the central highlands, rapidly filling reservoirs. Engineers had to act to protect dams; we witnessed severe flooding downstream.

¶ 04 Crucially, soils in the central highlands absorbed excess water, reducing bearing capacity and triggering landslides—over 1,250 sites, natural and man-made slopes. Our systems are generally designed to withstand less than 200 mm; this exceeded that. About 111,000 persons were affected by floods and landslides; more than 1,400 relief centres opened; around 650 deaths and 173 missing.

¶ 05 After the President declared the Emergency via Gazette 2464/30 of 28.11.2025, an Essential Services Commissioner General was appointed, enabling swift inter-agency tasking, including to the Tri-Forces. For example, due to a shortage of geologists, the Commissioner General facilitated immediate secondment from GSMB, Water Resources Board, and others to support NBRO assessments; even final-year geology students at Peradeniya were mobilized. This is how the emergency framework has been used—to coordinate and accelerate technical work.

¶ 06 We thank all who contributed: citizens, public servants, the Tri-Forces, and even some Opposition MPs who helped on the ground. The Emergency is needed to continue coordinated effort, including for 6,018 fully destroyed and 108,000 partially damaged houses. I urge the Opposition to support the extension.