Sri Lanka’s recent experience with the natural disasters triggered by cyclonic storm Ditwah has been nothing short of devastating. With over 200 lives lost, another 200 people still missing and scores injured, the tragedy has left the island grappling with unbearable grief. Yet, amid the chaos and destruction, the disaster has also exposed several urgent weaknesses in our national disaster management framework including the fragility of our communication systems.
As the rains intensified, winds strengthened and floods and landslides swept across multiple areas, and communication networks were affected at the moment they were needed most. Entire communities were abruptly cut off. Mobile networks dropped, internet access disappeared and power outages intensified the crisis. For families trying desperately to reach their loved ones, for rescue teams coordinating rapidly evolving situations and for authorities attempting to issue timely warnings, this communication breakdown was not just an inconvenience; it was life-threatening.
Telecommunication service providers later reported that numerous towers had been destroyed or had lost power connections. Damage to fiber-optic cables further disabled connectivity across affected regions. Some providers stated they took measures to restore services, but restoration took considerable time. While the challenges they faced were real and understandable, especially given the scale of the storm, Sri Lanka must confront an uncomfortable but essential truth - communication cannot be allowed to become unstable during a national disaster. The reliability of communication infrastructure is not optional. It is foundational to disaster preparedness, response and recovery.
If Sri Lanka is to avoid repeating these failures, several reforms must be prioritised. First and foremost, the Government, the Telecommunications Regulatory Commission of Sri Lanka (TRCSL) and all telecommunication service providers must jointly conduct a comprehensive national risk assessment. This assessment should identify weaknesses, infrastructural gaps, and systemic vulnerabilities within the existing networks. It must then be followed by a national-level dialogue on how these deficiencies can be addressed sustainably and cost-effectively.
Strengthening physical infrastructure is also crucial. Telecommunication towers must be reinforced to withstand severe weather conditions. Power backups, including high-capacity batteries or generators, should be mandatory for critical network points. The Sri Lanka Telecommunications Act, along with other relevant legal provisions, must be amended to enforce stricter requirements for disaster-resilient communication systems. Service providers cannot merely respond to outages. They must be legally obligated to maintain robust mechanisms that ensure uninterrupted connectivity during crises and to deploy swift, reliable troubleshooting methods.
Throughout this process, the Government must maintain a strong monitoring and guiding role. Regulation cannot be episodic or reactive. Instead, it must be continuous and data-driven. More importantly, public opinion and community-level recommendations should be actively sought. Ordinary citizens, especially those in vulnerable districts, have lived experiences that technical assessments often overlook or underestimate. Their insights can help shape more realistic and ground-level solutions.
At the same time, Sri Lanka must broaden its technological capacities. As the country moves into a digital era, it is essential to recognise that advanced telecommunications alone cannot guarantee uninterrupted communication during extreme weather events. Technologies that function on low power, cover long distances, rely on basic equipment and remain stable in adverse conditions must also be integrated into our national disaster communication strategy. Such technologies already exist in Sri Lanka, most notably within the military. The Sri Lanka armed forces operate their own microwave communication networks, terrestrial radio systems, and other resilient radio-based technologies. These tools, many of which are classified as Commercial-off-the-Shelf (COTS) products, are specifically designed to endure harsh conditions. They are reliable, established, and crucially, not dependent on fragile infrastructure like towers or fiber cables. These alternate systems should be made available at district secretariat and divisional secretariat levels and also within the Disaster Management Centre level. Their purpose would not be to replace modern telecommunications but to serve as a fallback network for administrative coordination and emergency communication when conventional systems fail. In disaster scenarios, redundancy saves lives.
Beyond infrastructure and technology, Sri Lanka urgently requires a national emergency communication strategy and action plan, one that is implemented in every district. This plan should outline clear protocols for communication before, during and after disasters, designate responsible authorities, specify backup systems, and ensure that communities know how to access crucial information when regular networks collapse.
Ultimately, the country must recognise that the cost of these improvements is insignificant when weighed against the value of human life. Every missed warning and every failed connection during a disaster has the potential to cost lives. Cyclone Ditwah has shown us what happens when communication systems weaken in moments of urgent need. Let this be a turning point. Strengthening our communication infrastructure is not simply a technological upgrade, it is a moral obligation.