It is reported that the District Disaster Management Center stated that there are frequent forest fires in 15 Regional Secretariat Divisions of Badulla District.
Its Deputy Director EML Udaya Kumara stated that many problems have arisen due to the fact that they do not have the necessary facilities and technology to extinguish forest fires.
“With the dry weather in Badulla district these days, forest fires deliberately set by the people in the respective areas have become a serious problem.
At present, arson is being reported in many areas of the 15 Divisional Secretariat Divisions of Badulla District. In some cases, the number of reported fires is close to 10 in a single day.
Even though efforts are made to control the fire with the help of the armed forces and the regional secretariat as well as the fire fighting units, they do not turn out to be very successful programs. We don’t have advanced technology to control fires. This situation can create a very risky background in the future. This year, if heavy rains occur, there is a possibility of severe landslides and rockfalls, causing serious damage to lives and property.”