The Flood Protection Ordinance No 4 of 1924 is to be repealed and replaced with a new Flood Management Act.
The Ordinance at present allows the minister to declare any area to be a flood prone area and allows the Director General of Irrigation to take proactive measures.
Irrigation and Water Resources Mangement Minister Vijith Wijayamuni Zoysa who proposed the change said the Ordinance was only amended once and there was a need for a new Act to make provisions to protect lives and properties from floods considering the social, economic, environmental and institutional changes that have occurred over the years.
Co-cabinet spokesperson Gayantha Karunathilaka explained that the government in future will take action to relocate all who have built their homes on flood prone areas.
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