The opposition today (01) accused the government of failing to take precautionary measures to mitigate the impact of recent floods, despite prior warnings from the Meteorology Department and the Irrigation Department.
Samagi Jana Balawegaya (SJB) MP Kabir Hashim told Parliament that timely government action could have prevented much of the devastation.
He revealed that both the Meteorology Department and the Irrigation Department had issued warnings on November 12 about potential adverse weather conditions in the country.
Hashim criticized the government for releasing water from reservoirs all at once, rather than gradually which had contributed to the severity of the floods.
“It is the normal practice to release water gradually without waiting to open the gates at once at the last minute,” he said.
He further claimed that if reservoir water had been managed according to the forecasts, up to 75% of the deaths caused by the floods could have been prevented.
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