Defective Tsunami towers in the south dismantled

A tsunami training session in progress after the towers were installed 

• The tsunami warning towers had been defective and worn out for want of preventive maintenance for years
• However steps are being taken to issue warning signals over mobile phones with the help of telecommunication companies

By D.G.Sugathapla 

The tsunami warning towers in the south have been out of order for several years and those on the verge of collapse dismantled. A senior official of the Disaster Management Centre said that the 24 tsunami warning towers in the south that had been defective for years have been dismantled.

He said that steps are being taken to issue warning signals over mobile phones with the help of telecommunication companies in the event of a tidal disaster. 

The official said that 77 tsunami warning towers had been installed in the coastal areas and 24 of them were areas in the likes of Balapitiya, Ambalangoda, Hikkaduwa , Ratgama, Thelwatta, Galle, Unawatuna, and Ahangama in the Galle district, Weligama, Dikwella, Mirissa fishery harbour, Devinuwara fishery harbour Polhena and Thalalla  in the Matara district and Kirinda, Thangalla, Kudawella, Godawaya, Rekawa, Gurupokuna, Bataatha and Sisilagama in the Hambantota district.

He said the tsunami warning towers had been defective and worn out for want of preventive maintenance for years and they were dismantled to prevent any danger if collapsed.  

However he said that the Disaster Management Centre has planned to implement a warning system in case of an imminent tsunami disaster through mobile phones with the help of telecommunication companies.

Meanwhile the residents of the area expressed concern about the negligence of the authorities, who failed to maintain the tsunami warning towers for years.