As Sri Lanka reels from devastating floods and landslides, former MP Nimal Piyatissa accuses the government of ignoring early cyclone warnings and replacing experienced engineers with politically loyal appointees.
Former Member of Parliament Nimal Piyatissa has strongly criticized the government’s handling of the recent cyclone disaster, claiming that clear early warnings were ignored and poor administrative decisions worsened the масш side effects of the calamity. Speaking on the crisis, he said that with more than 20 years of experience as a public representative in the Nuwara Eliya district, he has never witnessed destruction of this scale.
He stated that the overflowing of reservoirs and widespread landslides caused by torrential rains affected the entire country, with the mountainous regions facing the most severe tragedy. According to him, the massive loss of lives, homes and property has completely destabilized daily life and pushed affected communities into severe uncertainty.
Mr. Piyatissa said any responsible government would have prepared a disaster response plan once such warnings were issued. He noted that the Meteorological Department had released special forecasts and that international agencies had also warned of the danger well in advance through multiple channels.
He further alleged that three senior engineers in charge of the Kotmale reservoir were removed and replaced with inexperienced JVP friendly apprentice engineers. He accused the authorities of waiting until the reservoir reached its highest danger level instead of following a systematic water release process.
He emphasized that the Disaster Management Act No. 13 of 2005 gives strong powers to the President to declare a disaster. Referring to past experience under President Gotabaya Rajapaksa, he said the Disaster Management Committee was convened immediately, and a clear plan was presented to Parliament by the then Minister of Irrigation Chamal Rajapaksa.
Despite forecasts of 400 to 500 millimeters of rainfall, he alleged that the present government allowed the disaster to unfold despite having full legal authority to act in advance.
