A special Cabinet subcommittee and an officials’ committee appointed to take measures to address the impacts of the El Niño climate phenomenon held their fifth meeting at the Presidential Secretariat yesterday (14).
The meeting was chaired by Environment Minister Dr. Dammika Patabendi, with discussions focusing on preparations for the expected shift from dry conditions to rainy weather over the next two months.
The committees discussed measures to prepare the public for possible disasters caused by heavy rainfall, including floods and landslides. It was also proposed to conduct disaster preparedness drills to educate communities on how to respond during emergencies.
Initial preparedness workshops will be conducted in the landslide-prone districts of Kandy, Badulla, Matale and Nuwara Eliya. Officials were instructed to take the necessary steps to launch these programmes without delay.
The meeting also decided to implement a public awareness programme through electronic and print media. The importance of establishing operational centres at the Divisional Secretariat level to ensure communities are adequately prepared was also discussed.
In addition, the committees reviewed the progress of relief measures already being provided to people affected by the El Niño-related conditions, as well as plans for the coming period.
Housing, Construction and Water Supply Minister Dr. Susil Ranasinghe, Plantation and Community Infrastructure Minister Samantha Viddyaratne, officials representing relevant ministries and agencies, and senior officials from the Meteorological Department, Disaster Management Centre, National Building Research Organisation and National Water Supply and Drainage Board attended the meeting.
