Many areas including the Judicial process needs to be strengthened to overcome natural disasters, Megapolis and Western Development Minister Patali Champika Ranawaka said yesterday.
He also said that most of the canals and streams in Colombo that drain the rain water have been blocked by unauthorised constructions and the legal process giving orders to remove them takes a considerably long period. He added some of the cases get hearing dates to suit the calendars of the attorneys appearing for the litigants.
“The cases are fixed at dates which are convenient to the attorneys,” Minister Ranawaka said.
“But the rains come not according to the calendars of the Attorneys,”the Minister said. Minister Ranawaka was speaking at a press conference at the Megapolis and Western Development Ministry Auditorium yesterday.
He added that most of the unauthorised constructions have blocked
many cannals in Colombo. They have mostly been constructed during the last decade. The Minister added that people use various tricks and gimmicks to reclaim paddy fields or marshy lands to construct unauthorised buildings. The law applies to the rich and poor people in a different way. The rich people with their clout can get away with the law on most occasions while the poor segment of society has to abide by it. "I feel sorry about this situation as a Minister,” Minister Ranawaka said.
“I fear, if this situation continues without a change, the chances of socity becoming criminalised is very strong,”the Minister said.”
He also said that global warming too has an effect on Sri Lanka being affected by natural disasters. He however added that development programmes such as the Southern Expressway have been constructed without a proper environmental assessment which also has contributed to the flood situation.
“Due to this reason, the time has come for us to think not twice but several times when we undertak large scale development programees like the construction of Expressways to the North and to Kandy,” Minister Ranawaka said.
He also said that the government is planning to set up proper Safety Centres for the disaster affected people in the respective areas since the people have to stay somewhere or other when they are affected by natural disasters. He also said that there is also a move to set up a center to gather details and data to face such adverse weather conditions in future and issue warnings.
Minister Ranawaka said further further said that even the Meteorological Department has to enhance its technology to make accurate weather forecasts and not just general forecasts.
He also said that there is no point in criticizing the government at times of natural disasters.
All have to get together to restore the country without trying to gain petty political gains during such situations.
The Minister also added that if Nuwara Eliya had experienced such a heavy rainfall, the catastrophe would have been greater.