Thirty seven years ago, disaster struck early one April morning taking the lives of 126 Sri Lankans. Many may have forgotten, but they might be excused as the mid-1980’s was filled with mass casualty incidents due to insurgency, terrorism and war. However, nineteen years ago the Boxing Day tsunami left the coastal belt of the island devastated, robbing us of so many. 

Sri Lanka has been through many tragedies, both man-made and natural. However, it seems that we lack the collective conscience to learn from the past and be better prepared. This is why Sri Lanka is not resilient as some other countries, when it comes to surviving such a crisis. The recent dam burst in Libya (10 September) claimed the lives of thousands, no official death toll has been announced yet, as recovery operations are still ongoing. In Sri Lanka concerns about dam safety and possible leaks, highlighted the usual tug-o-war between state institutions on who is responsible for what. It is an indication that lessons which should have been learnt from 1986, remain unaddressed.

Last week the Government, after a long hiatus, began a dialog about the need to update and upgrade the national disaster warning system. Yes, we do have one of those. If you haven’t heard of it or know how it works, then that’s part of the problem. But that’s a civics lesson for another time.  

Last Friday, the Government initiated plans to establish an emergency warning system via all telephone service providers to issue a pre-recorded warning to all mobile phones in an emergency-affected area regarding impending or ongoing natural disasters, Speaking to The Sunday Morning, State Minister of Defence Premitha Bandara Tennakoon said: “We are trying to establish a mechanism where all mobile phones in an affected or at-risk area will ring to get the attention of the public and communicate about imminent dangers, such as a possible tsunami. We have no control over when a natural disaster may happen; if it takes place at 2 a.m., an SMS text message will not suffice as many would be asleep. Therefore, we need the phones to ring in order to get the public’s attention.” It is learnt that a high-level government stakeholder meeting headed by Tennakoon took place on Friday (3) to discuss the proposed plan, which had also included State Minister of Technology Kanaka Herath.

The plan will likely see telecommunication service providers initiate calls with recorded messages in a way, perhaps similar to the United States Federal Emergency Management Agency (FEMA) in coordination with the Federal Communications Commission (FCC) activates the Wireless Emergency Alerts (WEAs) to sound alarm or caution regarding impending or developing public safety and natural disasters. In the US, there is another system called the Emergency Alert System (EAS), which is a national public warning system that requires radio and TV broadcasters, cable TV, wireless cable systems, satellite and wireline operators to provide the President with capability to address the American people within 10 minutes during a national emergency.

While it is commendable that the Government is initiating such updates to our public safety structure, there is also a need for sound policies and public awareness to ensure the systems are well resourced, and function properly. In 2019, we learnt that the National Council for Disaster Management (NCDM), the nation’s apex body for disaster management, has only met 13 times since its creation in 2005, though it is expected to meet 4 times a year. That’s right, only 13 times in 14 years, where they should have met every three months. Thus, policies, and awareness is not enough, compliance is a two way street, one which both the State and the public needs to learn their role and uphold the duties which they have been entrusted with. So far, the number of times the State has failed the public are too many to count. 

Let us educate ourselves, and bring pressure on the authorities to do their bit. Meanwhile, the public should also follow the law, effect proper compliance to safety regulations like the building code, and fire regulations. How can we call out the Government, when so few of us don't adhere to the rules ourselves? The recent fire at Pettah and the near criminal negligence of the building owners and vendors involved is a good example of why the public also needs to “up their game”.