By Nadira Gunatilleke/Daily News

Colombo, December 2 – Sri Lankan people are extremely ignorant. We can understand how ignorant they are by watching their behaviour these days. Bad weather hit Sri Lanka early last week and thereafter the entire country watched every night through the television news how people suffered and died due to landslides, fallen trees etc. But the most pathetic factor that hits the minds of vigilant people is the level of ignorance of others, especially towards early warnings issued by responsible State bodies such as the National Building Research Organization (NBRO).

Early last week the media reported how six people died after a huge boulder fell on a house and a small hotel. Then Cyclone ‘Ditwah’ hit the region and around 150 people died from landslides and other accidents caused during the storm. Over 160 deaths and over 200 people went missing. Some of their bodies were recovered later. According to some media reports the National Building Research Organization (NBRO) had issued early warnings to some of those locations in the past. The NBRO leads in landslide warnings, the GSMB’s work on soil and geochemical mapping is fundamental to understanding landslide-prone areas.

But unfortunately Sri Lankan people are NOT taking early warnings issued by the NBRO seriously and most of them just ignore such warnings. At least they are NOT concerned about some of the common early warning signs. They are NOT aware of new cracks in the ground or buildings, the tilting of trees, fences, or utility poles, and the sudden appearance of springs or muddy water on a slope. They NEVER Pay attention to unusual sounds like trees cracking or boulders knocking together, or a faint rumbling that grows louder. Landslides are often triggered by heavy rainfall.

But unfortunately typical Sri Lankan people start to enjoy rain and water during natural disasters instead of looking for early warning signs described above. At least they cannot stay at home safely during natural disasters such as thunderstorms. They just want to go out for some unnecessary matter and get killed. Viewing such disasters and floods is more important for them than protecting their own lives.

It is the very same when it comes to urban and semi urban areas. People are naturally ignorant and relevant authorities who should ensure the safety of people are more ignorant than the ordinary people. The relevant authorities who are responsible for making public roads safe are the most ignorant no matter how hard the Government is trying to protect people. Fortunately the level of ignorance has become a little bit less now than in the past.

Incidents

Late October around four individuals died due to various flood related accidents. A female student at Hanwella Rajasinghe Central College died on October 21, 2025, after being hospitalised the previous day. She had fallen into an unprotected culvert during heavy rainfall and was swept away by the water current. In Anuradhapura, an individual died after being swept away by a flash flood triggered by heavy rainfall in the area. In Ruwanwella, a 54-year-old man drowned after falling into a canal while attempting to cross it using a footbridge during heavy rainfall.

Maybe people still remember how a 17-year-old school girl whose birthday fell on October 15 died the same day after falling into an unprotected drain at Nittawela Junction on the Kandy-Katugastota road and was swept away to the Mahaweli Ganga in October 2015. A similar incident happened in Colombo in the past where a female was killed after falling into an unprotected drain during a heavy rain. She had stepped on it which was hidden in the flood water.

Sri Lankan people are very popular for playing in dangerous flood water, drowning and dying. They have never heard of `Life Saving Jackets’. Therefore it is high time parents take very good care of their children and adolescents during this rainy season. It takes only less than four minutes to die under water.

In November last year (2024) eight persons including 06 children went missing while two children rescued after the tractor they were travelling on was caught in flood waters in Karaitivu in Ampara District. The tractor was traveling from Ninthavur to Sammanthurai when it had toppled due to strong currents in the flood waters.

It is extremely pathetic how town planning has taken place in this country during the past seven and half decades. There was NO planning at all and all we can see is unplanned constructions. The other issue is illegal constructions. Sri Lankan people are very good at constructing illegal structures. Sometimes they do it within six or seven hours at night ! It happened during all previous regimes without any problem.

Natural Disasters

The other strange thing is how Sri Lankan people respond towards natural disasters. By now Sri Lankan people very clearly know whether floods affect their areas or not. This is because they experienced several floods during the past several decades and exactly know the places which go under water immediately, the places which flood during a heavy rain and the places which flood during adverse weather prevail for several days. But it seems they act like people from another planet without this knowledge.

Sri Lanka Travel Guide

The other issue is how they respond while a natural disaster is taking place. People in other countries in the world always monitor the weather reports aired by the media and they are always vigilant on changes especially when there is a warning on a possible natural disaster. But here in Sri Lanka the media and people’s response towards weather forecasts is very poor. Actually both the media and people almost ignore such reports.

Media give time for weather Forecasts only after all the other stories and they give priority and telecast news on weather only when there are deaths, landslides, floods etc. But weather forecasts never get time during the first few minutes in news telecasts if there are no tragedies and if there are warnings.

Same as the media, Sri Lankan people pay attention towards natural disaster warnings only when there is a catastrophe. Other than that they never pay attention towards weather forecasts. This is how some individuals and schoolchildren died during the hot weather reported from Sri Lanka during the last few months. It is the very same with floods. People play in flood water and walk or drive along roads during strong winds ! Natural disasters are a time when people display their `bravery’ through stupid acts.

People can get ready and move long before floods arrive and there should be a plan for every single Grama Niladhari Division which faces floods. But what we see is how people just run for shelter to temples, schools etc without their belongings after the arrival of floods. The publicity given by the media for the notices issued on opening Sluice Gates are NOT adequate at all and not timely at all.

General Knowledge

It is the responsibility of the media and relevant authorities to raise awareness of the people and especially their general knowledge. The pathetic situation is Sri Lankan people are extremely ignorant about their own surroundings even after living in those surroundings for several decades and during several natural disasters.

Sri Lankan people have never heard of the use of Life Jackets !. Wearing one is something they do not like that much. A Life Jacket is something that is worn over the upper body like a jacket or vest and that is designed to save the individual from drowning by holding him/her up when he/she is in water. Wearing a life jacket can save life and prevent drowning. Keep him/her afloat. It gives time while awaiting rescue. Deaths from drowning are preventable tragedies that can affect anyone in, on or around the water. Wearing a life jacket is a simple life-saving technique and more people need to know when to wear and how to choose a life jacket. Even good swimmers drown. Research has proven that wearing a lifejacket can increase the individual’s chances of survival by up to four times if he/she is immersed in cold water.

Nothing is costly for the ordinary people to be vigilant during natural disasters and during heavy rains. All they need to do is obey the notices issued by the NBRO and be vigilant on early warning signs. They can simply postpone their picnics and all the other non essential trips. What matters is being alive and watching the sunrise after the thunderstorm. But it seems for Sri Lankan people what matters the most is to hurry up and show stupid bravery.

END