Director General of the Department of Meteorology Athula Karunanayake has appeared before the Parliamentary Select Committee (PSC) investigating why the authorities failed to issue timely warnings before Cyclone Ditwah made landfall on November 27, 2025, The Island reported.
Karunanayake is alleged to have predicted the impending cyclone on November 12, 2025 — fifteen days before landfall — but is accused of failing to take “appropriate measures to alert the people” through official channels. He first issued a warning when he appeared on the Derana ‘Big Focus’ television programme rather than via the Met Department’s institutional alert system, the report said.
The PSC, chaired by Minister Dr. Nalinda Jayatissa, has been tasked with conducting a comprehensive study of the warning failure and submitting recommendations. The recent meeting in Parliament was also attended by Major General (Retd) Sampath Kotuwegoda, Director General of the Disaster Management Centre. Members of the committee inquired into how the Department of Meteorology and the DMC operated as primary responding institutions during natural disasters.
Cyclone Ditwah caused approximately USD 4.1 billion in damage, killed 646 people and affected 2.2 million across the island. The state of emergency declared after the cyclone has been extended for a second time on April 28, with families still being relocated and compensated. The government has set up a 1,000-interim-shelter programme to be ready in May and the NBRO is operating a tiered compensation priority framework for displaced households.
Successful early warning is a constitutional and statutory responsibility of both the Department of Meteorology and the DMC. The PSC’s findings could reshape how future cyclone advisories are escalated from forecasting bulletins into nationwide emergency alerts.
