HC Kariyawasam leads Sri Lanka delegation to the First Ministerial Meeting of RIMES

High Commissioner Prasad Kariyawasam led the Sri Lanka delegation to the First Ministerial Conference of the Regional Integrated Multi-Hazard Early Warning System for Africa and Asia (RIMES) in New Delhi on 21 June.

RIMES is a collective response of Asian and African nations arising out of the unprecedented trauma of the 2004 Indian Ocean Tsunami and consists of member and collaborative countries. Representatives of Afghanistan, Armenia, Bangladesh, Bhutan Cambodia, Comoros, India, Kenya, Laos, Maldives, Mauritius, Mongolia, Mozambique, Myanmar, Nepal, Philippines, Papua New Guinea, Seychelles, Sri Lanka, Tanzania, Uzbekistan, attended the Conference. India as the present Chair of the RIMES Council convened the First Ministerial Meeting of RIMES with a view to building RIMES institutional and core operational activities.

Minister of Earth Sciences India Vilas Rao Deshmukh Chaired the Ministerial Meeting while Minister of State for Science and Technology and Earth Sciences of India Dr. Ashwani Kumar, Ministers from Bangladesh and Maldives were among the Ministers who participated and S.H Kariyawasam, Director General of the Department of Meteorology of Sri Lanka also attended the meeting.

Speaking at the Meeting, High Commissioner Kariyawasam stated that Sri Lanka following the 2004 Tsunami, Sri Lanka has worked closely with its neighbours, the international community to build capacities and to manage such disasters and mitigate their consequences.

As a result of the commitment of the government and support of Sri Lanka’s partner countries and institutions, in Sri Lanka there is now capacity with government and awareness among vulnerable communities as to how to respond to such Tsunami situations.

Referring to other geologic and hydro-meteorological hazards that are more frequent and create havoc in civilian life in Sri Lanka such as floods, droughts, lightening and storm surges, High Commissioner Kariyawasam said that Sri Lanka is encouraged that the RIMES activities would encompass such disasters as well enabling member countries to prepare and to respond adequately for saving life and property.