All 77 tsunami early warning towers in Sri Lanka are currently non-operational, confirmed Director General of the Disaster Management Center (DMC), Major General (Retd.) Sampath Kotuwegoda.
He made this disclosure in response to a journalist’s question during a media briefing held yesterday (04) at the Government Information Department, ahead of the ‘Tsunami Disaster’ rehearsal program scheduled for today (05).
According to the Director General, the towers remain inactive due to issues with the satellite that was deployed to transmit signals to the tsunami towers.
He further stated that discussions are underway with several international organizations, through the Ministry of Foreign Affairs, to reactivate the tsunami early warning system.
DMC Director and Media Spokesperson Pradeep Kodippili also noted that the towers have been inactive for the past three years. He revealed that approximately Rs. 4 million was spent on constructing each early warning tower.
He added that each tower covers a radius of three square kilometers and that there are 15 additional early warning systems available beyond the tower network. The towers, he emphasized, are only one component of the early warning mechanism. In the event one system fails, the other 14 alternative systems are expected to activate, and all systems have been set up by the Disaster Management Center.
Kodippili assured that even though the towers are inactive, tsunami warnings will still be delivered at the village level to ensure communities receive timely alerts. He also noted that the Sri Lanka Police and the tri-forces are actively involved in implementing these measures.
It was also revealed that the satellite in question belongs to a company based in the United States, and that the Sri Lankan government has been paying Rs. 7 million annually to the company to receive the satellite signals.
