Stop extravagance, provide equipment to forecast natural disasters - Editorial

12 June 2013 06:30 pm - 0 - {{hitsCtrl.values.hits}}

A A A

The inclement weather prevailing in the country over the last two weeks has claimed more than fifty lives and has caused a lot of damage to property. Nearly all who died were fishermen, and their small boats were destroyed in the rough seas within a kilo metre’s radius from the land.

As this tragedy struck, the Meteorology Department which had anyway earned little confidence of the people, has come under flack again. People are calling for the resignation of the key officials of the Met Department. Meanwhile, the Fisheries Minister was also seen placing the responsibility of the deaths on the Met Department and the Disaster Management Ministry.

The Met Department said in a recent media conference that they had issued a forecast about the adverse weather conditions but the officials of the Disaster Management Centre (DMC) had apparently ignored the forecast.

The DMC in return said though they received a forecast, since it was not a warning they did not follow up on it.

It is clear the blame game will go on until people forget about the deaths and will again come to the fore when another disaster strikes. Though President Mahinda Rajapaksa has asked for a special report on the matter, it is unlikely that it will prescribe ways to avoid similar disasters in the future, considering the number of special reports called for and the results produced by them on many other matters.

To find out the problems with the Met Department and the DMC one doesn’t necessarily need ‘special reports’. If you follow media reports you will find there are three key issues that hinder the smooth functioning of the Met Department.

The first one is the absence of a proper communication system among the Met Department, DMC, other relevant authorities and the media. The most important feature would be to create an effective level of communication based on the seriousness of reports and warnings issued on possible natural disasters.

Secondly, the Met Department needs to be equipped with state-of-the-art technology used in global weather forecasts. As Sri Lanka is an island and located on the equatorial belt, it is difficult to make precise predictions on the changes in the atmosphere without using ultra-modern equipment.

The government would do well to use the colossal amounts of money pumped into exhibitions like ‘Deyata Kirula’ to buy essential equipment and help avoid possible loss of innocent people's lives and their property again.

The third point is to man the Met Department with qualified personnel to ensure that they make quite accurate weather forecasts quite often. We believe it is time for the authorities to stop the blame game and adopt a genuine, practical approach to address these issues if they really care about innocent people’s lives.

Order Gifts and Flowers to Sri Lanka. See Kapruka's top selling online shopping categories such as Toys, Grocery, Kids Toys, Birthday Cakes, Fruits, Chocolates, Clothing and Electronics. Also see Kapruka's unique online services such as Money Remittence,Astrology, Courier/Delivery, Medicine Delivery and over 700 top brands. Also get products from Amazon & Ebay via Kapruka Gloabal Shop into Sri Lanka

Comments - 0

Add comment
Comments will be edited (grammar, spelling and slang) and authorized at the discretion of Daily Mirror online. The website also has the right not to publish selected comments.

Stop extravagance, provide equipment to forecast natural disasters - Editorial

Comments - 0

Add comment

RECOMMENDED

UDA owned land in Thalawathugoda; UDA Minister Prasanna Ranatunga under the spotlight for forceful occupation of reserved land

Loss-making SMIB faces political pressure in recovering loans

Baltimore Bridge Collapse: MV Dali, SL authorities anchored in mystery?

Has Sri Lanka become a potential hub for the illegal wildlife trade?

Spotlight on Moragahakanda Development Project Moragolla villagers lose livelihoods and down to one meal a day

Ambitious Sri Lankan jobseekers ‘trafficked into Ukraine war zones’

Western purple-faced langurs see blue!

Most Viewed in News

Former MP Palitha Thewarapperuma dies from electrocution

Sri Lankan among NASA’s new crew for next simulated Mars journey

23 year old youth ends up having his testicles removed

Belgian traveller scammed in Kalutara

New Visa procedure implemented

A US “Kaputa”, a Lankan “Nariya” and a Presidential “Feast”

MIRROR CRICKET

Chamari Athapaththu sets big goal for T20 World Cup

How does CSK get best out of Pathirana?

Mendis, Mathews move up in ICC Test Rankings

Chamodi, Dewmi spins Sri Lanka U19 Women to big win

TODAY'S HEADLINES

Debt Restructuring Talks: Bondholders Fear Regime Change Impact

Don’t be deceived by NPP and Cardinal Ranjith: UNP

Emirates halts check-in for connections, UL cancels flights to Dubai

Plans afoot to obtain “Blue Flag Beaches” certification for SL beaches

Hardik fined Rs 12 lakh for violating IPL code of conduct after win over Punjab Kings

Chamari Athapaththu sets big goal for T20 World Cup

How does CSK get best out of Pathirana?

Mendis, Mathews move up in ICC Test Rankings