COLOMBO – Amidst a national tsunami preparedness exercise (IOWave25), the Disaster Management Centre (DMC) has made a startling public safety revelation: All 77 Tsunami Early Warning Towers across the coastal belt of Sri Lanka are currently non-operational.

The official disclosure comes as coastal communities participate in the Indian Ocean Tsunami Exercise, raising serious questions about the country’s primary disaster alert mechanisms.

The Cause: A Three-Year Satellite Failure

DMC Director General (Retd.) Major General Sampath Kotuwegoda confirmed that the crucial early warning system has been inactive for approximately three years.

The root cause of the failure is an issue with the satellite that provides the essential signal link to the warning towers.

The Director General stressed that restoring the system is a significant undertaking that cannot be handled by the DMC alone.

Seeking International Intervention

The Government has initiated urgent discussions with international organizations through the Foreign Ministry to secure the necessary technical expertise and assistance required to restore the towers’ functionality.

DMC officials confirm that while the tower system is offline, several alternate warning methods are in place, including mobile phone alerts, landline notifications, and media broadcasts. However, the non-operational status of the sirens, which provide immediate, localized audible warnings, represents a significant gap in the disaster preparedness network.

The public is urged to remain calm and follow established communication channels for any real-time threat, as the current IOWave25 exercise aims to test these existing alternative warning procedures.