• BY Buddhika Samaraweera

The Land and Irrigation Ministry stated that priority would be given to urgent action against unsafe constructions in areas identified as vulnerable to natural disasters.

Speaking to The Daily Morning, Deputy Lands and Irrigation Minister Aravinda Senarath said that unsafe and illegal constructions had been permitted in the past for various reasons, including political influence, and that the consequences were now evident. “People are losing their lives and property is being damaged. We will give priority to taking action against unsafe constructions in areas prone to natural disasters,” he said.

His remarks come in the wake of a series of deadly incidents that exposed the gaps in disaster preparedness and the difficulties faced by the authorities when dealing with families living in danger-prone locations.

On 18 November, a major rockfall between the Idalgashinna and Ohiya Railway Stations struck a moving postal train, damaging its engine. Four days later, on 22 November, a rockslide at Pahala Kadugannawa along the Colombo–Kandy Main Road, killed six people. Both incidents occurred despite a functioning early warning system. The National Building Research Organisation had already issued an alert for Pahala Kadugannawa on 17 November, warning the public of possible landslides and rockfalls and advising them to be ready to evacuate. However, the Disaster Management Centre Media Spokesperson Pradeep Kodippili told the media that even after families receive land and financial support to build a new house, some continue to live in their old, high-risk properties.