Govt. to increase compensation for loss of life due to disasters to Rs. 1 mn

Adverse weather conditions results in the displacement of 19,032 individuals from 5,821 families across 127 Divisional Secretariat Divisions (DSD) in 18 districts.

These people are currently sheltered in 17 relief centres, where efforts are underway to provide necessary infrastructure along with dry rations and cooked food, he said.

The Deputy Minister was speaking at the special press conference held on Tuesday at the Disaster Management Centre (DMC).

“The disasters have resulted in two fatalities, 10 houses completely damaged, 438 houses partially damage, 25 small and medium-scale business destroyed, and significant damage to two important infrastructures”.

He said that following the directives of the President, related agencies including the Disaster Management Centre, National Disaster Relief Service Centre (NDRSC), National Building Research Organisation (NBRO), Department of Meteorology and the Ministry of Defence (MoD), are coordinating efforts are underway to provide round-the-clock relief to affected communities. District Secretaries, Divisional Secretaries, State officials, tri-forces, Sri Lanka Police, Civil Defence Department and other relief organisations are all actively involved relief activities.

“In addition, as many tanks and irrigation channels remain at spill levels, work to reinforce vulnerable embankments is also being conducted under the guidance of irrigation engineers”, he said.

He added that Rs.30M has been allocated for disaster relief services under the directives of the President and the government.

Arrangements have been made to provide daily food ration allowances for those displaced with Rs. 1,800 per person; in addition allocations of Rs. 2,400, Rs. 2,800, Rs. 3,200, and Rs. 3,600 based on the family size have been made.

The government has also approved the increase of compensation for loss of life from 250,000 rupees to one million rupees.

The Deputy Minister also said that according to the Meteorological Department’s forecasts, this adverse weather condition will subside in the coming days. He revealed that the media and social media awareness campaigns based on the forecasts made regarding this situation have helped to minimise the risks and damages of landslides and floods. He thanked the media institutions and the public for acting according to such instructions.

The Minister said that the State mechanism for disaster preparedness is already in place and that relevant State institutions including disaster relief teams are responsible for the successful implementation of that process. He also said that the general public should take steps to minimise the possible damages by adhering to the government’s instructions and warnings.

Secretary to the Ministry of Defence, Director General of the Department of Meteorology and officials representing DMC, NDRSC, NBRO, Department of Meteorology, MoD and tri-forces were also present.

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