Project to restore and maintain stabilised landslide-prone areas

The National Building Research Organisation (NBRO) has now implemented a programme to stabilise landslide slopes to minimise the risk of landslides in identified areas.

Accordingly, approximately 250 stabilisation projects have been implemented in landslide-prone areas during the last 10 years. Approximately Rs. 10 billion was incurred for that purpose. The long-term stability of a stabilised landslide area depends on the measures taken to manage groundwater and surface water drainage patterns.

There is a risk of these stabilised areas turning back into non-stabilised areas without the management and maintenance of groundwater and surface water drainage patterns. Therefore, proper maintenance of these stabilised areas is essential to prevent them from becoming unstable.

For this reason, although the NBRO has issued a series of guidelines to the relevant stakeholder institutions, there is a risk of these stabilised areas becoming unstable due to a lack of proper maintenance. The recommendations of the National Planning Department have been received for a project called ‘Restore and Maintain Stabilised Landslide Areas’, planned by the NBRO in order to prevent the emergence of such risks.

Accordingly, the Cabinet of Ministers has approved the proposal presented by the President, in his capacity as Defence Minister, to implement the project during the period 2026 to 2030.

Determination of total area that may be affected by landslides

It has been identified that the mountainous area, which constitutes 30 percent of the total land area of the country, is at risk of landslides and is spread over 14 districts. As a basic method for the early identification of landslide-prone mountain slopes and their distribution, landslide hazard zone maps are prepared and used by the National Building Research Organisation (NBRO).

Accordingly, landslide hazard zone maps have been prepared to cover most of the landslide-prone areas in Sri Lanka by 2023. Only areas with signs of landslide initiation are shown in such maps. However, in landslide risk management, it is essential to identify the entire area, including landslide initiation zones, the path that the debris flows, and debris deposit zones.

By identifying this condition, the NBRO has proposed a project to determine overall landslide disaster impact zones (Total Impact Zone) using the Red and Yellow Zone Determination Methodology.

Accordingly, taking into consideration the urgent need to minimise the risk of landslides in the island, the Cabinet of Ministers has approved the proposal presented by the President, in his capacity as Defence Minister, to implement the project.

Providing shoes to selected schoolchildren, lay and clergy students of pirivenas, and seela mathas for 2026

It has been decided to provide vouchers for shoes for selected school students, lay and clergy students of pirivenas and seela mathas for 2026 to the beneficiaries by the end of the 2025 school term.

The vouchers have been prepared by the Education, Higher Education, and Vocational Education Ministry to provide welfare benefits, and are planned to be securely printed with a QR code number that can be scanned through the mobile phone software and given to the beneficiary students.

Accordingly, the Cabinet of Ministers has approved the proposal presented by the Prime Minister in her capacity as Education, Higher Education, and Vocational Education Minister to select the following students under the programme:

• 644,000 students who are in the schools with less than 250 students across the island.
• 53,093 students who are in estate schools that have 251 to 500 students.
• 2,300 students in 30 schools for special needs.
• 30,000 selected lay/clergy students from pirivenas.

  Integrated Early Childhood Development Programme

  The number of children with autism and other neurodevelopmental disorders in Sri Lanka has increased over the past few decades. Accordingly, plans have been prepared to implement a five-year national programme to improve the health, education, and service facilities for children with autism and other neurodevelopmental disorders throughout 25 districts to address the challenges that have arisen.

  As an initial step, a provision of Rs. 200 million has been allocated in the 2025 Budget for the establishment of a treatment centre for children with autism and other neurodevelopmental disorders at the Lady Ridgeway Children’s Hospital in Colombo, according to international standards.

  In addition to this project, a project proposal has been submitted to the National Planning Department to expand the intervention for the disease in all 25 districts.

  The proposed project consists of the following three main components:

  • Establishing child development and intervention centres at the district level
  • Establishing community children centres at the provincial level.
  • Implementing capacity-building programmes at the district level.

  Accordingly, the Cabinet of Ministers has approved the proposal presented by the Health and Mass Media Minister to implement the expansion of the intervention regarding children with autism and other neurodevelopmental disorders based on the recommendations of the National Planning Department to execute the project components within the Medium-Term Budget framework for 2025–2027.

• Reconstruction of the Kurikattuwan jetty

  Kurikattuwan jetty is used by both Nainativu (Nagadeepaya) and Delft (Nedunthivvu) islands as a main maritime access point to the Jaffna peninsula.

  This jetty facilitates passenger and cargo boat services to the islands and also facilitates a wide range of social, religious, economic, and administrative functions.

  The existing jetty has suffered extensive structural damage due to prolonged exposure to coastal conditions and lack of large-scale renovation. Accordingly, the Cabinet of Ministers has approved the proposal presented by the Acting Minister of Transport, Highways, and Urban Development to implement the Kurikattuwan jetty construction project under the Medium-Term Budget Framework, recognising the importance of the jetty for transportation, religious tourism, and regional development.

  Implementation of project to manufacture assistive devices locally for people with disabilities

  It has been proposed to expand the facilities for local production of assistive devices for social security and disabled persons under the 2025 Budget. Accordingly, Rs. 500 million has been allocated for the implementation of the project in collaboration with the Ragama Blood and Rehabilitation Hospital and National Hospital of Sri Lanka.

  The components of this project are planned to be implemented by improving the services provided to disabled persons by the Ragama Blood and Rehabilitation Hospital and enhancing the facilities for local production of assistive devices for disabled persons under the Accident and Orthopedic Service of the National Hospital of Sri Lanka. Accordingly, the Cabinet of Ministers has approved the proposal presented by the Health and Mass Media Minister to implement the project using the provision of Rs. 630.2 million within the Medium Term Budget Proposal 2025-2027.