Features

Comparative study of Boeing and Airbus – Part III

Published

5 months ago

2025/07/7

Thilina Walpola

The Flight Management System (FMS) Display and Input Keys, the Human/Machine Interphase in modern times.

Aircraft automation

In 1914, an American, Lawrence Sperry, demonstrated gyroscope-stabilised, straight-and-level flight in Paris. This was the beginning of the automatic pilot. As years passed and flight distances got longer, automatic pilots for aircraft were introduced to carry out the mundane task of physical flying, and to free the pilot’s mind to navigate, communicate and manage the flight. Not all Airline people were happy when autopilots were introduced.

“I pay those guys to fly, so let them fly. I’ll be damned if I’ll pay them to just sit there.”

Eddie Rickenbacker

WWI Veteran and Chairman of Eastern Airlines, USA

Those early autopilots were ‘dumb and dutiful.’ Pilots referred to the autopilot as ‘George’. With the advent of digital computers and satellite technology, even the other two functions (navigation and communication) were taken over by automatics, and a Flight Management system (FMS) was introduced. Once the route was programmed, the FMS even tuned the required radio frequencies automatically in the vicinity, for navigation.

The Flight Management System (FMS) Display and Input Keys, the Human/Machine Interphase in modern times.

Airbus flight instructors used to say that if the Inertial Reference Systems were the brain of the aircraft the FMS was the heart. In addition, a host of parameters, from the operating condition of the engines to what movies are watched by passengers, can be monitored through telemetry from the ground in real time.

HUMAN FACTORS

A psychologist named David Beaty, formerly a World War II RAF pilot (for which he was awarded the DFC with bar) and BOAC Captain, propounded that there are many ‘Human Factors’ behind aircraft accidents. Beaty was born in Hatton, Ceylon in 1919 to a Methodist minister and his wife, both on a missionary posting from Britain, and received his early education at Kingswood College, Kandy. When Beaty first mooted his ‘human factors in aircraft accidents’ concept in 1967 it was regarded as controversial. After all, aviators were supposed to be supermen, not normal human beings.

As an extension of his passion for aircraft accident investigation, Beaty became a prolific and celebrated writer of novels, almost all with an air accident theme. Perhaps the best-known novel by Beaty is Cone of Silence, which was later adapted for the movie of the same name (renamed ‘Trouble in the Sky’ for US audiences). Another is The Temple Tree, the (fictional) story of a ‘plane crash at Colombo Airport, Katunayake.

It gradually dawned on accident investigators that what Beaty was saying was true, and indeed the human condition was the weakest link. As such, something needed to be done to improve that aspect of aviation safety. Two landmark accidents, both in the USA, provided added impetus: the crashes of an Eastern Air Lines Lockheed L-1011 TriStar in 1972, and a United Airlines DC-8 (1978). In both instances the pilots were distracted from the task at hand by mundane, peripheral matters and lost the ‘big picture’.

Many human factors experts realised that pilots must be taught to (1) know themselves, (2) know their crew, (3) know their aircraft and equipment, (4) know their priorities and, above all (5) constantly evaluate the risks. Thus, a new classroom subject called ‘Crew Resource Management’ (CRM) was born. Although, at first, it was thought by some that CRM was a case of ‘too many cooks’ and no one ‘minding the shop’.

the situation further, some aircraft manufacturers attempted to automate more pilot functions and design the human out of the system. The first crewmember to be dispensed with was the Radio Officer. Then came the job of Navigator, and lastly the Flight Engineer. Airline managements welcomed the new cockpit complement as high crew salaries were a part of the companies’ fixed costs, so the absence of those now-redundant jobs was a great saving. From the air safety point of view, the flight deck lost extra pairs of eyes with only a Captain and First Officer at the ‘pointy end’. Meanwhile, accident rates remained unacceptably high. There are suggestions now to have only a single pilot in large airliners purely to save money!

In reality, the reduction of errors on the flight deck was an impossibility, as humans still designed, built, operated, maintained, managed and regulated aircraft operating systems. ‘Threats and Errors’ could exist anywhere. Automation was meant to support the crew in a certain set of given conditions, not replace them. It was incapable of judgement. An oft-repeated story is that of a computer that was asked: ‘if there were two clocks, one of which had stopped, the other running one second slow, which would give the more accurate time?’ In its high-tech ‘wisdom’ and logic, the computer deduced that it was the clock that had stopped, as it gives the correct time twice a day, while the other never gave the accurate time!

FLY BY WIRE AIRCRAFT

In the 1980s, when Airbus designed the A320 aircraft, they said that the flight control computers (seven in all) were so advanced, software would have taken 800 man-years to check them. The manufacturer took the next best option of getting two different vendors to write the software for redundant systems so that one system could monitor the other.

Interestingly, as stated before, some of the algorithms for the ‘fly by wire’ computers were developed by a young Sri Lankan scientist/engineer named Gemunu Silva (1943-2021), who in the 1970s was given use of the only hybrid computer in France. His work at Toulouse eventually became the property of the French government.

Because of economic pressures, no aircraft is a mature product when it is introduced to the line. Modifications are done on the go, after introduction. Sometimes, blood needs to be spilt for positive changes to happen. That is a sad fact in aviation. The world’s pilots were still unprepared to accept the A320’s new level of automation.

Initially, Indian Airlines pilots went on strike and refused to fly the A320. It was called the ‘Scare Bus’. After three fatal crashes the A320 was also dubbed the ‘John Wayne of the Skies’, because it crashed through forests (Basel, Switzerland; 1988), ‘climbed’ mountains (Strasbourg, France; 1992), and killed Indians (Bangalore; 1990). Many meetings were held by the International Federation of Airline Pilots’ Associations (IFALPA) to address the A320’s human factors problems. Thankfully, we humans adapted to the new technology, and today the A320 and its numerous derivatives are the world’s safest and most popular aircraft.

In modern ‘glass cockpit’ aircraft, pilots are expected to disregard their feel to a large extent and fly by what they see on their electronic instruments displayed in colour-coded cathode ray tubes (CRTs) and LED (light-emitting diode) screens. The early A320 accidents, following the type’s introduction, were mostly the result of pilots’ misinterpretation of these instruments. This was the man-machine interface.

But automation brought a host of other problems for human operators who now had to spend more time on monitoring duties, which in turn caused complacency and boredom. However improbable, automatics tend to fail at the most critical time. Because of this, during critical phases such as automatic landings, aircraft have either two or three autopilots monitoring each other.

The differences in basic autopilot philosophies of the two main big-jet manufacturers, Boeing and Airbus, are that while Boeing strived to have the automatics ‘human-centred’ with flight control feedback to give an indication to the pilots as to what the autopilots are doing, Airbus airplanes’ controls didn’t move at all, with pilots having to constantly update their situational awareness by asking “What is it doing now?”

Situational awareness is knowing what is going on around you. To know whether the engines were spooling (powering) up or down, in the early days of the A320 – as incredible as it sounds – pilots kept their feet flat on the flight deck floor; unlike in Boeing aircraft, the Airbus engine throttles didn’t move in keeping with engine power, so an immediate underfloor (engine) vibration, or lack of it, gave a good indication of what the engines were doing.

Another basic difference was that the warning systems in the older Boeings told pilots what was wrong. Calling for the relevant checklist was left to the pilots’ judgement.

Later Boeings such as the 777 and the 787 Dreamliner have fallen in line with Airbus practice by prioritising checklists. In both types of aircraft, a statement commonly made by the pilots is: “I have never seen that happen before.” Both manufacturers absolve themselves by saying, “If unsure, fly manually or at an acceptable level of automation”. However, in all ‘fly by wire’ aircraft there is no real manual mode. (i.e.) No cables and pulleys. What the pilots do is to program the autopilot computers through their flight controls. Even the engines are controlled by an electronic ‘FADEC’ (Full Authority Digital Engine Control).

Besides, all this high technology in the flight deck has introduced more than 15 audio warnings in the form of synthetic voices, bells, and whistles which the pilots have to identify by memory, differentiate, and carry out a split-second rectification action. Identifying the warnings incorrectly could be a matter of life and death.

Such was the case in the Helios Airways Boeing 737 crash in August 2005. During routine pre-flight maintenance, automatic cabin pressurisation had been switched off by maintenance engineers in order to run a test; but the disabled system had been overlooked by the pilots when carrying out their pre-flight checks. On the climb-out, when the Cabin High Altitude audio warning horn sounded, the pilots identified it as the Take-off Configuration Warning horn and did nothing as they were climbing out safely and not in the take-off phase. Consequently, everyone on board was starved of oxygen at high altitude, becoming unconscious or dying before the aircraft, flying on autopilot, crashed when its fuel supply eventually ran out.

In another incident, an Air France Airbus A330 aircraft operating from Rio de Janeiro to Paris crashed in the Atlantic Ocean (June 2009) after encountering a heavy thunderstorm. The synthetic voice and an attention-getting bell sounded no less than 75 times, alerting the crew that they were falling out of the sky, before the aircraft descended to its watery doom. Why did the crew not react? Was there the ‘startle factor’? Was it a matter of inexperience and inadequate training? It all happened in the space of six vital minutes. The human factors element involved in that crash is the subject of an entire book.

INTO THE FUTURE

The Pilot/Aircraft interaction is through the Flight Management System (FMS) in the long term and directly to the Autopilot in the short term. According to many experts, the aircraft automation of today, while being quite smart, cannot be called ‘Artificial Intelligence’ (AI).

The systems still rely on data that has been defined by fallible human beings (the old computing adage: “Garbage in, garbage out)”.

Pilots are taught to operate modern aircraft on a ‘need to know’ basis due to economic pressures. Keeping a pilot in a classroom for a comprehensive ‘nuts and bolts’ program or simulator session is a loss of productivity.

While on the subject of automation, one of the ‘coolest’ devices the writer found in the Boeing 747 aircraft was a warning light and an audio ‘ping’ that come on if no switch activation has taken place in the flight deck for a specific period of time, with the accompanying message saying, “Pilot Input required”. Cancelling the warning is itself a pilot action which silences the electronic ‘watchdog’ for a while. This effectively relieves boredom on long flight sectors while ensuring that pilots stay awake.

Many experts believe that to achieve ‘AI’ status in automation, as many possible scenarios to specific problems as possible could be fed into the on-board computers, which then will select the most appropriate solution in the case of an emergency. But more refinements to this need to be done. Without a confusing horn, could a voice warning such as “Cabin Pressure” have saved the Helios Airways crew and their passengers? Conversely, in the Air France crash the voice warning also urging the appropriate corrective action, e.g. “Stall. Stall. Get Nose Down”, would have helped.

In the present context, the performance of ‘Stone Age’ human operators are still limited by hunger, humidity, lack of sleep, vibration, stress, fatigue, jetlag, optical illusions and spatial disorientation. There is a long way to go in addressing all of these factors. Airline managements, which are often ‘bottom line only’-orientated, still indulge in ‘penny pinching’ and ‘pilot pushing’, thereby contributing additional mental and physical stresses to crewmembers.

Quick turnarounds, minimum rest, inadequate time to unwind among friends and relatives, inappropriate financial inducement to fly on days off which are planned for the specific purpose of reducing cumulative fatigue, are some of the challenges that the airline industry faces today. The chances of making mistakes are greater in such environments.

Each individual is different, and therefore the lowest common denominator may have to be considered by the regulators. Human intelligence and the ability to make mistakes are two sides of the same coin. According to many experts, a ‘zero error’ target in air operations is impossible to achieve. What should be in place is an ‘error tolerant’ system, where human errors are detected, trapped and mitigated. The ICAO recommends that rather than being reactive, the industry should be proactive, predictive and preventive. Understanding the cause behind the cause of incidents and accidents, in terms of human factors is the Final Frontier.

In the more advanced Airbus airplanes not only did the warning tell you what was wrong but followed the pilot through a series of tasks to bring the unserviceable system back to an acceptable level of serviceability.

(The writer is a retired Airline Captain. He was a Human Factors and CRM facilitator for a Far Eastern airline, and has flown Lockheed L-1011, Boeings 737, 707 & 747, and Airbus A320, A330 & A340.aircraft.

Former member of the Civil Aviation Authority (CAASL) Accident Investigation Team. The incumbent OPA representative for ‘Aviation’.)

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Features

Trade preferences to support post-Ditwah reconstruction

Published

7 hours ago

2025/12/15

Sahan Weerasooriya

Ditwah disaster

The manner in which the government succeeded in mobilising support from the international community, immediately after the devastating impact of Cyclone Ditwah, may have surprised many people of this country, particularly because our Opposition politicians were ridiculing our “inexperienced” government, in the recent past, for its inability to deal with the international community effectively. However, by now it is evident that the government, with the assistance of the international community and local nongovernmental actors, like major media organisations, has successfully managed the recovery efforts. So, let me begin by thanking them for what they have done so far.

Yet, some may argue that it is not difficult to mobilise the support for recovery efforts from the international community, immediately after any major disaster, and the real challenge is to sustain that support through the next few weeks, months and years. Because the recovery process, more specifically the post-recovery reconstruction process, requires long-term support. So, the government agencies should start immediately to focus on, in addition to initial disaster relief, a longer-term strategy for reconstruction. This is important because in a few weeks’ time, the focus of the global community may shift elsewhere … to another crisis in another corner of the world. Before that happens, the government should take initiatives to get the support from development partners on appropriate policy measures, including exceptional trade preferences, to help Sri Lanka in the recovery efforts through the medium and the long term.

Use of Trade Preferences to support recovery and reconstruction

In the past, the United States and the European Union used exceptional enhanced trade preferences as part of the assistance packages when countries were devastated by natural disasters, similar to Cyclone Ditwah. For example:

After the devastating floods in Pakistan, in July 2010, the EU granted temporary, exceptional trade preferences to Pakistan (autonomous trade preferences) to aid economic recovery. This measure was a de facto waiver on the standard EU GSP (Generalised Scheme of Preferences) rules. The preferences, which were proposed in October 2010 and were applied until the end of 2013, effectively suspended import duties on 75 types of goods, including textiles and apparel items. The available studies on this waiver indicate that though a significant export hike occurred within a few months after the waiver became effective it did not significantly depress exports by competing countries. Subsequently, Pakistan was granted GSP+ status in 2014.
Similarly, after the 2015 earthquakes in Nepal, the United States supported Nepal through an extension of unilateral additional preferences, the Nepal Trade Preferences Programme (NTPP). This was a 10-year initiative to grant duty-free access for up to 77 specific Nepali products to aid economic recovery after the 2015 earthquakes. This was also a de facto waiver on the standard US GSP rules.
Earlier, after Hurricanes Mitch and Georges caused massive devastation across the Caribbean Basin nations, in 1998, severely impacting their economies, the United States proposed a long-term strategy for rebuilding the region that focused on trade enhancement. This resulted in the establishment of the US Caribbean Basin Trade Partnership Act (CBTPA), which was signed into law on 05 October, 2000, as Title II of the Trade and Development Act of 2000. This was a more comprehensive facility than those which were granted to Pakistan and Nepal.

What type of concession should Sri Lanka request from our development partners?

Given these precedents, it is appropriate for Sri Lanka to seek specific trade concessions from the European Union and the United States.

In the European Union, Sri Lanka already benefits from the GSP+ scheme. Under this arrangement Sri Lanka’s exports (theoretically) receive duty-free access into the EU markets. However, in 2023, Sri Lanka’s preference utilisation rate, that is, the ratio of preferential imports to GSP+ eligible imports, stood at 59%. This was significantly below the average utilisation of other GSP beneficiary countries. For example, in 2023, preference utilisation rates for Bangladesh and Pakistan were 90% and 88%, respectively. The main reason for the low utilisation rate of GSP by Sri Lanka is the very strict Rules of Origin requirements for the apparel exports from Sri Lanka. For example, to get GSP benefits, a woven garment from Sri Lanka must be made from fabric that itself had undergone a transformation from yarn to fabric in Sri Lanka or in another qualifying country. However, a similar garment from Bangladesh only requires a single-stage processing (that is, fabric to garment) qualifies for GSP. As a result, less than half of Sri Lanka’s apparel exports to the EU were ineligible for the preferences in 2023.

Sri Lanka should request a relaxation of this strict rule of origin to help economic recovery. As such a concession only covers GSP Rules of Origin only it would impact multilateral trade rules and would not require WTO approval. Hence could be granted immediately by the EU.

United States

Sri Lanka should submit a request to the United States for (a) temporary suspension of the recently introduced 20% additional ad valorem duty and (b) for a programme similar to the Nepal Trade Preferences Programme (NTPP), but designed specifically for Sri Lanka’s needs. As NTPP didn’t require WTO approval, similar concessions also can be granted without difficulty.

Similarly, country-specific requests should be carefully designed and submitted to Japan and other major trading partners.

(The writer is a retired public servant and can be reached at senadhiragomi@gmail.com)

by Gomi Senadhira

Features

Lasting power and beauty of words

Published

7 hours ago

2025/12/15

Sahan Weerasooriya

Novelists, poets, short story writers, lyricists, politicians and columnists use words for different purposes. While some of them use words to inform and elevate us, others use them to bolster their ego. If there was no such thing called words, we cannot even imagine what will happen to us. Whether you like it or not everything rests on words. If the Penal Code does not define a crime and prescribe a punishment, judges will not be able to convict criminals. Even the Constitution of our country is a printed document.

A mother’s lullaby contains snatches of sweet and healing words. The effect is immediate. The baby falls asleep within seconds. A lover’s soft and alluring words go right into his or her beloved. An army commander’s words encourage soldiers to go forward without fear. The British wartime Prime Minister Winston Churchill’s words still ring in our ears: “… we shall defend our Island, whatever the cost may be, we shall fight on the beaches, we shall fight on the landing grounds, we shall fight in the fields and in the streets, we shall fight in the hills; we shall never surrender …”

Writers wax eloquent on love. English novelist John Galsworthy wrote: “Love is no hot-house flower, but a wild plant, born of a wet night, born of an hour of sunshine; sprung from wild seed, blown along the road by a wild wind. A wild plant that, when it blooms by chance within the hedge of our gardens, we call a flower; and when it blooms outside we call a weed; but flower or weed, whose scent and colour are always wild.” While living in a world dominated by technology, we often hear a bunch of words that is colourless and often cut to verbal ribbons – “How R U” or “Luv U.” Such words seem to squeeze the life out of language.

Changing medium

Language is a constantly changing medium. New words and forms arrive and old ones die out. Whoever thought that the following Sinhala words would find a place in the Oxford English Dictionary? “Asweddumize, Avurudu, Baila, Kiribath, Kottu Roti, Mallung, Osari, Papare, Walawwa and Watalappan.” With all such borrowed words the English language is expanding and remains beautiful. The language helps us to express subtle ideas clearly and convincingly.

You are judged by the words you use. If you constantly use meaningless little phrases, you will be considered a worthless person. When you read a well-written piece of writing you will note how words jump and laugh on the paper or screen. Some of them wag their tails while others stand back like shy village belles. However, they serve a useful purpose. Words help us to write essays, poems, short stories and novels. If not for the beauty of the language, nobody will read what you write.

If you look at the words meaningfully, you will see some of them tap dancing while others stand to rigid attention. Big or small, all the words you pen form part of the action or part of the narrative. The words you write make your writing readable and exciting. That is why we read our favourite authors again and again.

Editorials

If a marriage is to succeed, partners should respect and love each other. Similarly, if you love words, they will help you to use them intelligently and forcefully. A recent survey in the United States has revealed that only eight per cent of people read the editorial. This is because most editorials are not readable. However, there are some editorials which compel us to read them. Some readers collect such editorials to be read later.

Only a lover of words would notice how some words run smoothly without making a noise. Other words appear to be dancing on the floor. Some words of certain writers are soothing while others set your blood pounding. There is a young monk who is preaching using simple words very effectively. He has a large following of young people addicted to drugs. After listening to his preaching, most of them have given up using illegal drugs. The message is loud and clear. If there is no demand for drugs, nobody will smuggle them into the country.

Some politicians use words so rounded at the edges and softened by wear that they are no longer interesting. The sounds they make are meaningless and listeners get more and more confused. Their expressions are full of expletives the meaning of which is often soiled with careless use of words.

Weather-making

Some words, whether written or spoken, stick like superglue. You will never forget them. William Vergara in his short essay on weather-making says, “Cloud-seeding has touched off one of the most baffling controversies in meteorological history. It has been blamed for or credited with practically all kinds of weather. Some scientists claim seeding can produce floods and hail. Others insist it creates droughts and dissipates clouds. Still others staunchly maintain it has no effect at all. The battle is far from over, but at last one clear conclusion is beginning to emerge: man can change the weather, and he is getting better at it.”

There are words that nurse the ego and heal the heart. The following short paragraph is a good example. S. Radhakrishnan says, “In every religion today we have small minorities who see beyond the horizon of their particular faith, not through religious fellowship is possible, not through the imposition of any one way on the whole but through an all-inclusive recognition that we are all searchers for the truth, pilgrims on the road, that we all aim at the same ethical and spiritual standard.”

There are some words joined together in common phrases. They are so beautiful that they elevate the human race. In the phrase ‘beyond a shadow of doubt’, ‘a shadow’ connotes a dark area covering light. ‘A doubt’ refers to hesitancy in belief. We use such phrases blithely because they are exquisitely beautiful in their structure. The English language is a repository of such miracles of expression that lead to deeper understanding or emphasis.

Social media

Social media use words powerfully. Sometimes they invent new words. Through the social media you can reach millions of viewers without the intervention of the government. Their opinion can stop wars and destroy tyrants. If you use the right words, you can even eliminate poverty to a great extent.

The choice of using powerful words is yours. However, before opening your mouth, tap the computer, unclip a pen, write a lyric or poem, think twice of the effect of your writing. When you talk with a purpose or write with pleasure, you enrich listeners and readers with your marvellous language skills. If you have a command of the language, you will put across your point of view that counts. Always try to find the right words and change the world for a better place for us to live.

By R. S. Karunaratne
karunaratners@gmail.com

Features

Why Sri Lanka Still Has No Doppler Radar – and Who Should Be Held Accountable

Published

1 day ago

2025/12/14

Thilina Walpola

Eighteen Years of Delay:

Cyclone Ditwah has come and gone, leaving a trail of extensive damage to the country’s infrastructure, including buildings, roads, bridges, and 70% of the railway network. Thousands of hectares of farming land have been destroyed. Last but not least, nearly 1,000 people have lost their lives, and more than two million people have been displaced. The visuals uploaded to social media platforms graphically convey the widespread destruction Cyclone Ditwah has caused in our country.

The purpose of my article is to highlight, for the benefit of readers and the general public, how a project to establish a Doppler Weather Radar system, conceived in 2007, remains incomplete after 18 years. Despite multiple governments, shifting national priorities, and repeated natural disasters, the project remains incomplete.

Over the years, the National Audit Office, the Committee on Public Accounts (COPA), and several print and electronic media outlets have highlighted this failure. The last was an excellent five-minute broadcast by Maharaja Television Network on their News First broadcast in October 2024 under a series “What Happened to Sri Lanka”

The Agreement Between the Government of Sri Lanka and the World Meteorological Organisation in 2007.

The first formal attempt to establish a Doppler Radar system dates back to a Trust Fund agreement signed on 24 May 2007 between the Government of Sri Lanka (GoSL) and the World Meteorological Organisation (WMO). This agreement intended to modernize Sri Lanka’s meteorological infrastructure and bring the country on par with global early-warning standards.

The World Meteorological Organisation (WMO) is a specialized agency of the United Nations established on March 23, 1950. There are 193 member countries of the WMO, including Sri Lanka. Its primary role is to promote the establishment of a worldwide meteorological observation system and to serve as the authoritative voice on the state and behaviour of the Earth’s atmosphere, its interaction with the oceans, and the resulting climate and water resources.

According to the 2018 Performance Audit Report compiled by the National Audit Office, the GoSL entered into a trust fund agreement with the WMO to install a Doppler Radar System. The report states that USD 2,884,274 was deposited into the WMO bank account in Geneva, from which the Department of Metrology received USD 95,108 and an additional USD 113,046 in deposit interest. There is no mention as to who actually provided the funds. Based on available information, WMO does not fund projects of this magnitude.

The WMO was responsible for procuring the radar equipment, which it awarded on 18^th June 2009 to an American company for USD 1,681,017. According to the audit report, a copy of the purchase contract was not available.

Monitoring the agreement’s implementation was assigned to the Ministry of Disaster Management, a signatory to the trust fund agreement. The audit report details the members of the steering committee appointed by designation to oversee the project. It consisted of personnel from the Ministry of Disaster Management, the Departments of Metrology, National Budget, External Resources and the Disaster Management Centre.

The Audit Report highlights failures in the core responsibilities that can be summarized as follows:

· Procurement irregularities—including flawed tender processes and inadequate technical evaluations.

· Poor site selection

—proposed radar sites did not meet elevation or clearance requirements.

· Civil works delays

—towers were incomplete or structurally unsuitable.

· Equipment left unused

—in some cases for years, exposing sensitive components to deterioration.

· Lack of inter-agency coordination

—between the Meteorology Department, Disaster Management Centre, and line ministries.

Some of the mistakes highlighted are incomprehensible. There is a mention that no soil test was carried out before the commencement of the construction of the tower. This led to construction halting after poor soil conditions were identified, requiring a shift of 10 to 15 meters from the original site. This resulted in further delays and cost overruns.

The equipment supplier had identified that construction work undertaken by a local contractor was not of acceptable quality for housing sensitive electronic equipment. No action had been taken to rectify these deficiencies. The audit report states, “It was observed that the delay in constructing the tower and the lack of proper quality were one of the main reasons for the failure of the project”.

In October 2012, when the supplier commenced installation, the work was soon abandoned after the vehicle carrying the heavy crane required to lift the radar equipment crashed down the mountain. The next attempt was made in October 2013, one year later. Although the equipment was installed, the system could not be operationalised because electronic connectivity was not provided (as stated in the audit report).

In 2015, following a UNOPS (United Nations Office for Project Services) inspection, it was determined that the equipment needed to be returned to the supplier because some sensitive electronic devices had been damaged due to long-term disuse, and a further 1.5 years had elapsed by 2017, when the equipment was finally returned to the supplier. In March 2018, the estimated repair cost was USD 1,095,935, which was deemed excessive, and the project was abandoned.

COPA proceedings

The Committee on Public Accounts (COPA) discussed the radar project on August 10, 2023, and several press reports state that the GOSL incurred a loss of Rs. 78 million due to the project’s failure. This, I believe, is the cost of constructing the Tower. It is mentioned that Rs. 402 million had been spent on the radar system, of which Rs. 323 million was drawn from the trust fund established with WMO. It was also highlighted that approximately Rs. 8 million worth of equipment had been stolen and that the Police and the Bribery and Corruption Commission were investigating the matter.

JICA support and project stagnation

Despite the project’s failure with WMO, the Japan International Cooperation Agency (JICA) entered into an agreement with GOSL on June 30, 2017 to install two Doppler Radar Systems in Puttalam and Pottuvil. JICA has pledged 2.5 billion Japanese yen (LKR 3.4 billion at the time) as a grant. It was envisaged that the project would be completed in 2021.

Once again, the perennial delays that afflict the GOSL and bureaucracy have resulted in the groundbreaking ceremony being held only in December 2024. The delay is attributed to the COVID-19 pandemic and Sri Lanka’s economic crisis.

The seven-year delay between the signing of the agreement and project commencement has led to significant cost increases, forcing JICA to limit the project to installing only one Doppler Radar system in Puttalam.

Impact of the missing radar during Ditwah

As I am not a meteorologist and do not wish to make a judgment on this, I have decided to include the statement issued by JICA after the groundbreaking ceremony on December 24, 2024.

“In partnership with the Department of Meteorology (DoM), JICA is spearheading the establishment of the Doppler Weather Radar Network in the Puttalam district, which can realize accurate weather observation and weather prediction based on the collected data by the radar. This initiative is a significant step in strengthening Sri Lanka’s improving its climate resilience including not only reducing risks of floods, landslides, and drought but also agriculture and fishery“.

Based on online research, a Doppler Weather Radar system is designed to observe weather systems in real time. While the technical details are complex, the system essentially provides localized, uptotheminute information on rainfall patterns, storm movements, and approaching severe weather. Countries worldwide rely on such systems to issue timely alerts for monsoons, tropical depressions, and cyclones. It is reported that India has invested in 30 Doppler radar systems, which have helped minimize the loss of life.

Without radar, Sri Lanka must rely primarily on satellite imagery and foreign meteorological centres, which cannot capture the finescale, rapidly changing weather patterns that often cause localized disasters here.

The general consensus is that, while no single system can prevent natural disasters, an operational Doppler Radar almost certainly would have strengthened Sri Lanka’s preparedness and reduced the extent of damage and loss.

Conclusion

Sri Lanka’s inability to commission a Doppler Radar system, despite nearly two decades of attempts, represents one of the most significant governance failures in the country’s disastermanagement history.

Audit findings, parliamentary oversight proceedings, and donor records all confirm the same troubling truth: Sri Lanka has spent public money, signed international agreements, received foreign assistance, and still has no operational radar. This raises a critical question: should those responsible for this prolonged failure be held legally accountable?

Now may not be the time to determine the extent to which the current government and bureaucrats failed the people. I believe an independent commission comprising foreign experts in disaster management from India and Japan should be appointed, maybe in six months, to identify failures in managing Cyclone Ditwah.

However, those who governed the country from 2007 to 2024 should be held accountable for their failures, and legal action should be pursued against the politicians and bureaucrats responsible for disaster management for their failure to implement the 2007 project with the WMO successfully.

Sri Lanka cannot afford another 18 years of delay. The time for action, transparency, and responsibility has arrived.

(The views and opinions expressed in this article are solely those of the author and do not necessarily reflect the policy or position of any organization or institution with which the author is affiliated).

By Sanjeewa Jayaweera