Ninth National Safety Day in Hambantota

The ninth National Safety Day and the 10th anniversary of the tsunami catastrophe will be commemorated in the Hambantota district on December 26 this year, a spokesman for the government said.

The Ministry of Disaster Management will organise the national commemoration program and other related events under the patronage of President Mahinda Rajapaksa.

An awareness walk in all 25 districts simultaneously, a two-day exhibition with art and essay competitions apart from the main national event will be held to mark the Safety Day.

The National Safety Day is commemorated every year to create an attitudinal change among the public towards disaster prevention, mitigation, preparedness and response.

Disaster Management Minister Mahinda Amaraweera is overseeing the organising committee. The technical agencies of the Disaster Management Ministry including the Meteorological Department, National Building Research Organisation (NBRO), National Aquatic Resources Research and Development Agency (NARA) and the Disaster Management Centre (DMC) will hold awareness programs with the UN and UNDP.

The National Safety Day has been commemorated for seven years continuously since 2006 in Galle, Ratnapura, Kurunegala, Kandy, Batticaloa, Jaffna, Badulla and the Kalutara districts.

KKK