Saturday Jul 04, 2026
Saturday Jul 04, 2026
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The Government has launched a coordinated national response to the anticipated El Niño climate phenomenon, directing key ministries to prepare comprehensive contingency plans within two weeks as authorities seek to safeguard food security, water resources and energy supplies.
According to a statement from the President’s Office, the Special Cabinet Subcommittee and the Officials’ Committee established by President Anura Kumara Dissanayake to oversee El Niño preparedness held their inaugural meeting yesterday at the Presidential Secretariat under the chairmanship of Environment Minister Dr. Dammika Patabendi.
The two committees were appointed to formulate short, medium and long-term strategies to mitigate the potential impacts of El Niño, with a focus on food security, water management and energy conservation. They are also tasked with strengthening coordination among Government institutions, ensuring integrated operations and implementing public awareness initiatives to minimise disaster risks.
The Cabinet Subcommittee comprises Agriculture, Livestock, Land and Irrigation Minister K.D. Lal Kantha, Plantation and Community Infrastructure Minister Samantha Vidyarathna, Ports and Civil Aviation and Energy Minister Anura Karunathilaka, Trade, Commerce, Food Security and Cooperative Development Minister Wasantha Samarasinghe, and Housing, Construction and Water Supply Minister Susil Ranasinghe.
During the meeting, letters of appointment were presented to members of the Officials’ Committee.
The President’s Office said the latest assessment indicated a 63% probability of a strong El Niño event and a 33% probability of a weak event, prompting authorities to prioritise contingency planning for drinking water, irrigation and electricity supplies.
Given expectations that global El Niño conditions could bring varying degrees of drought or below-normal rainfall to Sri Lanka, the relevant ministries and departments were instructed to submit comprehensive response plans within two weeks covering all possible scenarios.
The meeting also decided that all official public statements relating to El Niño would be issued exclusively by the Department of Meteorology, replacing multiple interpretations from different agencies with a single authoritative source of information.
Chief of Staff to the President and Officials’ Committee Chairman Prabath Chandrakeerthi, Environment Ministry Secretary Anjali Kumaratunga, Agriculture Ministry Secretary D.P. Wickramasinghe, Trade Ministry Secretary K.A. Vimalenthirarajah, Housing Ministry Secretary Eng. Kumudulal Bogahawatta and officials from the relevant ministries and departments attended the meeting, according to the President’s Office.
