• National irrigation and hydro dams have never faced this degree of pressure or stress: DMC
• Govt. aware of need for substantial commitment to rehabilitate and renovate dams
• Govt. claims no high-risk damage to dams identified thus far
• DMC to push for better standards for telco towers

The Government entered the 2026 financial year with a clear recognition that Sri Lanka’s ageing dam network requires substantial investment, according to Deputy Minister of Land and Irrigation Aravinda Senarath.

He said the Irrigation Department had received an allocation of Rs. 91 billion in the 2026 Budget, with a significant portion directed towards repair and strengthening work. According to him, this decision followed longstanding assessments indicating that many dams had not undergone major rehabilitation for several decades. 

The recent flooding caused by Cyclone Ditwah has now revealed new structural vulnerabilities across several irrigation systems.

Senarath said that even before the disaster, engineers had identified a number of dams that required attention. “The Irrigation Department identified dams that had not undergone development in 40–50 years, making their repair a primary focus,” he said. 

He added that Rs. 900 million had been set aside this year specifically for structural development work on critical dams, a decision informed by engineering evaluations that flagged the need for reinforcement. He said the damage observed during the recent disaster had only accelerated the urgency of these upgrades.

The Deputy Minister further said the Government was treating the repairs as an urgent priority because new breaches and stress points had emerged during the cyclone. Some of these areas had already been flagged earlier, and stopgap engineering measures had been carried out.

“At this time, I cannot comment on the precise status of the dams, as rescue operations are ongoing and a full evaluation has not been completed yet,” he said. He added, however, that current findings did not indicate catastrophic failure. “I can responsibly state that, so far, we have not identified any dangerously severe damage to the dams. Most issues are minor breaches that are being attended to.”

He said the complete picture of the structural condition of each dam would only emerge after water levels reduce in the surrounding areas. “We plan to address the newly identified spots as soon as possible, but I cannot provide a specific timeline for completion.”

Scale of disaster

The Deputy Minister’s comments come alongside the findings of the Joint Rapid Needs Assessment Phase 1 – Preliminary Scoping released on Tuesday (2). The report describes Cyclone Ditwah as one of the worst natural disasters in decades and documents severe multi-sectoral impacts across all 25 districts. 

According to the assessment, the cyclone’s slow and prolonged rainfall produced four continuous days of downpours with several areas receiving between 350 and 540 millimetres within 24 hours. This overwhelmed river basins, caused landslides, and submerged large parts of the Colombo, Gampaha, Kegalle, Kurunegala, Badulla, and Ratnapura Districts.

The report records that 1,466,615 people have been affected, 410 lives have been lost, and 336 individuals remain missing. A total of 233,015 people from 64,483 families have taken shelter in 1,441 Government-run safety centres. The report notes that 565 houses have been fully destroyed, more than 20,000 have been partially damaged, and more than 277,000 buildings have been inundated by floodwaters.

One of the most serious concerns highlighted by the assessment is the continued risk of flooding in the days after the cyclone, due to sustained high river discharge in the Kelani, Mahaweli, and Gin basins. Satellite-based modelling estimates that 1.8 million residents live in areas of elevated flood risk even after rainfall has eased, due to the slow release of water from highland catchments.

Dam safety is a central component of the report’s findings. The Mahaweli system, several medium-scale reservoirs, and a number of ancient earth-fill tanks experienced pressure from overtopping risks caused by rapid inflows. In many areas, the waterlogged embankments remain structurally vulnerable, with the report warning that breaches may occur if rainfall increases before full drainage is achieved. 

Hidden dam vulnerabilities 

Adding to these concerns, Disaster Management Centre (DMC) Director – Preparedness Planning Chathura Liyanaarachchi said the cyclone exposed vulnerabilities in infrastructure that had never been tested under rainfall of this magnitude. He said this applied particularly to dams constructed decades ago using earth-fill technology. 

“This event revealed vulnerabilities in infrastructure never before tested to this degree. Bridges and roads were affected, and dams like Mahaweli were damaged or cracked,” he said. According to him, the intensity of rainfall and the sudden water inflow placed unprecedented stress on embankments, spillways, and sluice structures.

He said the DMC had requested technical support from organisations such as the United Nations Office for Project Services (UNOPS) for comprehensive structural and soil analyses of all critical infrastructure, including dams and earth embankments. “Many of our earth-fill tanks are now waterlogged and risk future breach, as seen in a recent incident in Polonnaruwa where the military worked to stabilise a dam,” he said.

Liyanaarachchi also noted that some breaches had occurred due to saturated soil layers that could not withstand sustained pressure. He said the cyclone demonstrated the need for resilience-based designs, updated hydrological modelling, and strengthened monitoring systems for older dams.

Emergency water release decisions

Deputy Minister Senarath addressed concerns raised by the public regarding reservoir water releases during the cyclone. He said decisions to open sluice gates were made by experienced technical experts after analysing water levels and inflows.

“Dams like Kotmale, Polgolla, Victoria, and Randenigala are interconnected, and water release is managed using technology and expert knowledge,” he said. “Decisions are made by technical experts with decades of experience in disaster management.”

Both Senarath and Liyanaarachchi explained that releasing water prematurely was not without risk. “There is public criticism about reservoir water releases, but releasing water preemptively based on forecasts has previously led to water shortages and public protest,” the DMC Director said.

He noted that evacuation orders also depend on the accuracy of forecasts. “The Department of Meteorology can predict rainfall over 100 millimetres, but not 350-400 millimetres. Without accurate, location-specific warnings, forced evacuation is not a simple decision,” he said.

Liyanaarachchi claimed the DMC had held three pre-disaster coordination meetings on 17, 20, and 23 November with the Departments of Meteorology and Irrigation and the National Building Research Organisation. These meetings are standard practice for the monsoon season, even though the cyclone occurred outside the season. 

He said the DMC had issued letters to all security forces and district units on 26 November to prepare for the possibility of flooding. Nevertheless, he acknowledged that the scale of the cyclone exceeded national capacity.

Assessment and continuing response

Senarath said technical teams were still inspecting dams and irrigation infrastructure. Some areas remain inaccessible due to floodwaters and landslide debris. “Each dam is being evaluated based on a structured checklist that examines both superficial breaches and deeper structural integrity,” he said.

He said the opening of sluice gates during the peak of the cyclone was unavoidable. “Water levels reached thresholds that demanded rapid release to prevent catastrophic overtopping,” he said. He added that while temporary breaches occurred, all major structures had been stabilised through emergency engineering measures.

Liyanaarachchi said the cyclone also demonstrated the limits of communication and monitoring systems. Floodwaters disabled power and communication towers, causing cascading disruptions. He said the DMC intended to push for mandatory standards requiring reinforced telecom tower bases and fortified fibre optic conduits to prevent system failure during national emergencies.

He said some districts, such as Ratnapura, were without power for days. This hindered monitoring of river levels and dam conditions. “Connectivity is paramount for response. We need dedicated and guaranteed communication lines for decision-makers and first responders,” he said.

Iranamadu Dam review and public concerns

Senarath also addressed public concerns regarding the Iranamadu Dam, which underwent major development work in 2018. He acknowledged that questions had arisen about whether the recent damage indicated technical shortcomings or lapses in construction, adding: “It is too early to draw conclusions. A substantial amount was spent on the dam’s development and we are currently unable to conduct a full inspection.” 

He explained that floodwaters and ongoing rescue operations had restricted access to key sections of the structure, leaving engineers able to perform only temporary stabilisation work until conditions improve.

He also said that allegations of corruption or contractor negligence should not be made in the absence of evidence, adding that the Government would rely on technical experts to determine the cause of any damage once a comprehensive assessment is possible. 

Senarath assured that the findings, whether favourable or unfavourable, would be released publicly and would form part of a wider national review of dam safety prompted by the unprecedented pressures created by Cyclone Ditwah.

Opposition criticism and Govt. position 

Responding to Opposition claims of mismanagement, Senarath said the allegations were not consistent with the technical realities of reservoir management. He said the professionals responsible for water release decisions had acted responsibly and had based their decisions on data.

“Even an ordinary person with basic intellect will not raise such baseless questions,” Senarath said, suggesting the criticism was ill-informed and politically opportunistic. He further argued that the decision-making process for disaster response was highly complex, as every decision in the context had an impact on many persons.

Addressing specific allegations that Government mismanagement of dam operations had led to catastrophic flooding, Senarath emphasised the sophistication and scale of the national irrigation network. 

The core of his defence rests on the interconnectedness of Sri Lanka’s major hydroelectric and irrigation reservoirs, noting that key structures like Kotmale, Polgolla, Victoria, and Randenigala, among other dams, were all linked. He explained that managing water flow, including the controlling, stopping, and determining of the extent of flow in rivers, was done using advanced technology.

“This technical apparatus requires specialised knowledge and a sound understanding of circumstances, which is provided by dedicated experts. The decisions were made by experts, many of whom have been in the field for 30-40 years, who have acted accordingly and responsibly,” he said. 

The Deputy Minister maintained that the experts had taken the necessary precautions and maintained protocols, only resorting to increased water release as a final resort, and that the subsequent disaster simply exceeded a certain threshold at which point it became unmanageable.

Senarath also addressed the criticism over the accuracy and timeliness of weather warnings, denying claims that the disaster was fully predicted by 12 November. He stated the Opposition was “not understanding the science and nature behind the disaster that happened”. He clarified that the Meteorology Department, while adept at tracing patterns, “could not predict a cyclone would ravage the nation – it had not predicted such an extent of flooding or such a severe cyclonic storm”.

He claimed it had warned of adverse weather and the possibility of cyclonic weather patterns developing, but emphasised that this was a prognosis, not a precise catastrophe prediction, and that experts from the Irrigation and Meteorology Departments were “adept in the science behind these matters” and had coordinated responsibly. 

Long-term preparedness 

Senarath said post-disaster evaluations must be led by subject matter experts. “As a politician, my role is policymaking and governance, not technical disaster management,” he said.

Liyanaarachchi said the cyclone emphasised the need for national-level structural audits, emergency communication upgrades, and better resource allocation for disaster resilience. He said current budget allocations for disaster risk reduction were disproportionately low compared to funds set aside for relief. He also stressed the need for updated land-use regulation and better enforcement. “Construction in high-risk areas should require permits based on thorough technical assessments,” he said.

Both Senarath and Liyanaarachchi agreed that the recent disaster had exposed structural gaps but also demonstrated the dedication of agencies that had responded under extreme conditions. 

Senarath said the Government intended to use the findings of the rapid assessments to prioritise the necessary repairs. “Repair work is already being prioritised,” he said. “Once all evaluations are complete, we will move forward with our developmental agenda for 2026 accordingly,” he added.