Government department to collaborate on developing Multi-Hazard early warning system towers in SL

By Huzefa Aliasger   

Director General of the Disaster Management Centre Udaya  Herath told the Daily Mirror that the Disaster Management Centre,  Department of Meteorology, National Building Research Organisation and  the Irrigation Department together will collaborate on developing Multi-Hazard early warning system Towers islandwide, which will replace the  current inactive tsunami warning towers and provide early warning  against hazards.  

“All Departments will benefit from the implementation of  these towers as using better technology we will be able to predict  floods, tsunamis, landslides and thundershowers,” he said. 

The reason for the implementation of these towers as  mentioned by the director is due to the old technology being implemented  on the tsunami warning towers and various other disaster prediction  systems. The Multi-Hazard Warning towers will be using up-to-date  technology with research from various professionals. The multi-hazard early warning system towers are to be  funded by the World Bank as mentioned by Udaya Herath and agreements  have already been held. The departments are awaiting further approval  from the World Bank.  

“The implementation of these towers are expected between  mid-2025 to 2026,” he said. Other mechanisms such as police supervision  and digital systems are being implemented for disaster-related forecasts  until the start of the towers.