The United National Party (UNP) on Tuesday accused the government of failing to activate Sri Lanka’s National Disaster Management Plan during last week’s severe flooding, saying the omission contributed to the scale of devastation reported across the country.
In a special statement, dated 02 December 2025, the party said the Disaster Management Council is legally required to formulate and implement the National Disaster Management Plan under the Disaster Management Act No. 13 of 2005, but key procedures outlined in the plan were not followed.
According to the document, the plan requires constant coordination with technical agencies such as the Department of Meteorology, the National Building Research Organisation, and the Geological Survey and Mines Bureau, along with international early-warning bodies. It also mandates the issuance of early warnings, preparation of bulletins, and dissemination of alerts to vulnerable communities through Grama Niladhari divisions, media, mobile alerts, call centres and local authorities.
The plan also outlines a “last-mile dissemination” process involving the Disaster Management Centre’s Emergency Operation Centre, the military, police, provincial agencies and humanitarian organizations. The UNP statement includes an infographic showing the required chain of communication from technical agencies to community-level alerts on hazards such as floods, landslides and storms.
The party said national-level annual preparedness meetings, required under section 3.13 of the plan and involving key agencies, including the Irrigation Department and the Ministry of Health, were part of the mandated emergency readiness process. A sensitization workshop on the 2023-2030 plan was held in June this year, led by the Disaster Management Centre, with the Secretary to the Ministry of Defence as chief speaker, the statement noted.
However, the UNP said the plan was not activated on November 27 as the country braced for the worst impacts of Cyclone Ditwah. Instead, the most critical operational day, November 28, was declared a public holiday, and early-warning communication outlined in the plan “was never activated,” the party said.
The statement further argued that the President failed to invoke Sections 11 and 12 of the Disaster Management Act, which allow the declaration of a State of Disaster. As a result, the act “was never put into operation,” it said. The party also said the President, Prime Minister and Cabinet “failed to act under the relevant provisions of the laws to mitigate the harm done by a disaster”.
Quoting a Supreme Court observation from the Easter Sunday attack cases, the UNP said failure by the executive to act or prevent harm during a crisis may amount to a constitutional violation if it infringes upon the fundamental right to life. (Newswire)
