Defence Secretary Reviews Progress of National Doppler Radar Project in Puttalam
July 30, Colombo (LNW): Secretary to the Ministry of Defence, Air Vice Marshal Sampath Thuyacontha (Retd.), has inspected the ongoing construction of the Doppler Weather Radar Network in Puttalam, a key infrastructure project aimed at enhancing Sri Lanka’s weather monitoring and disaster preparedness capabilities.
Funded through a grant from the Government of Japan, the initiative is expected to significantly improve the country’s ability to track changing weather patterns, deliver more accurate forecasts and issue earlier warnings during adverse weather events. The project is regarded as a major step towards strengthening Sri Lanka’s resilience to natural disasters and protecting vulnerable communities.
At the start of the inspection, Director General of the Department of Meteorology A.L.K. Wijemannage outlined the objectives of the project and explained how the new radar network would contribute to modernising the nation’s meteorological services.
Project engineers subsequently briefed the Defence Secretary on construction progress, highlighting milestones achieved since the previous inspection and providing an overview of the remaining work and implementation timeline.
Officials said installation of the advanced radar equipment is expected to commence in January next year, with the entire project scheduled for completion by the end of July. Once operational, the system is expected to enhance real-time weather surveillance, enabling authorities to respond more effectively to heavy rainfall, strong winds and other extreme weather conditions.
Expressing satisfaction with the progress made so far, Air Vice Marshal Thuyacontha underscored the importance of completing the project on schedule. He noted that the new radar network would play a vital role in strengthening the country’s early warning systems, supporting disaster risk reduction efforts and improving public safety during severe weather events.
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