National Council for Disaster Management convenes after seven years

• President AKD instructs officials to amend Disaster Management Act to meet current needs

The 14th session of the National Council for Disaster Management was held last Wednesday (6) at the Presidential Secretariat under the patronage of President Anura Kumara Disanayake. Significantly, this is the first time the Council has convened in seven years, the President’s Media Division said in a statement.

The Council was established under the Disaster Management Act, No. 13 of 2005, following the national need that emerged after the 2004 tsunami. The last meeting was held on 5 April 2018. The Council is responsible for overseeing the duties assigned to all institutions involved in disaster management, minimising disaster risks across the country and making necessary policy decisions to guide those efforts.

It also coordinates and facilitates disaster risk mitigation activities at national and provincial levels through the Disaster Management Centre. During the session, the Disaster Management Plan and the National Emergency Operations Plan were presented and approved by the Council. The discussion focused on new trends, future plans, and current measures for disaster risk reduction in Sri Lanka. The Council emphasised the importance of establishing a unified and centrally coordinated mechanism to enhance the efficiency of disaster management.

In light of prevailing climate-related challenges, the committee underscored the need to enhance disaster management mechanisms and concluded that the existing legislation must be amended to reflect contemporary needs and emerging risks.

President Disanayake instructed the relevant officials to revise current financial limitations associated with disaster management and relief, as well as to allocate the required financial resources to restart halted projects.

The President further instructed officials to update the Disaster Management Act in alignment with current conditions and challenges.

A proposal to establish a dedicated Disaster Management Fund was also presented and received the approval of the Committee.

The President instructed officials to expedite the identification of vulnerable homes, evacuate people from those homes, and assess their safety.

President Disanayake proposed an increase in the compensation provided by the Government for housing.

He also directed attention to the people who are still living in displacement camps. It was revealed during the meeting that 58 families from Badulla and Punagala are still residing in such camps. Uva Province Governor J.M. Kapila Jayasekera stated that steps are currently being taken to resettle these 58 families before the end of August.

As per the Act, the President serves as the Chair of the Council, the Prime Minister as the Vice Chair, and members include the Leader of the Opposition, relevant subject Ministers, Chief Ministers of provinces (or Governors in their absence), and five MPs or experts appointed by the Parliament. A Minister may also be temporarily appointed to the Council based on necessity.

Defence Secretary Air Vice Marshal (Retd.) Sampath Thuyacontha was appointed the Secretary to the Council and accordingly, he will serve as a member of the Disaster Management Committee.

The Council is assigned 15 key responsibilities, including the formulation of a National Policy on Disaster Management, which has already been developed and distributed among members. This policy covers critical areas such as protecting lives and the environment, rehabilitation, public awareness, training, and relief provision.