Dr Nadeera Rupesinghe, Director General, National Archives, has appealed for assistance to save irreplaceable public records that were water-damaged during the recent floods.

The following is the text of statement issued by Department of National Archives: “The recent flooding has submerged not only our homes and infrastructure but also documentary evidence, in particular the public records of legal value of our nation. Hundreds of cubic metres of irreplaceable public records are now water-damaged. We have no time before mould renders them permanently destroyed.

Freezing water-damaged documents stops mould growth and stabilises materials until proper conservation treatment is possible. It buys time. Without freezing capacity, we will lose vital records, land registries, court documents, historical records, and the evidence millions of citizens need to rebuild their lives. These public institutions urgently need access to freezer facilities and mobile freezers across the country. Public records as bound volumes, and bundled records have to be frozen in large quantities. We understand this is an extraordinary request during an already difficult time. We are asking you to provide space in existing freezer facilities on a temporary basis (weeks to months).

If you are able to provide such facilities without cost, in return, the National Archives can support full documentation of your contribution for CSR reporting and national recognition as a partner in preserving Sri Lanka’s evidentiary landscape.

These are not abstract historical records. These are the records our citizens need to prove who they are, what they own, and what they are owed. What we stand to lose –

Court records and legal evidence spanning decades

Personnel files affecting pensions and benefits

Financial records required for audits and accountability

Public records essential for maintaining administrative history

Historical documents that tell our national story

The business community has always been a partner in Sri Lanka’s development. Today, we ask you to be partners in preserving the documentary foundation on which business, law, and civil society depend. Every land transaction, every contract, every court case relies on records. Help us save them.

If your organisation has freezing capacity, you can make available, please contact us immediately:

Name: Mr Anuradha Adikaram

Post: Senior Archivist

Contact: 077 6815551 (Available 24 hours)

We will coordinate connecting you with organisations that are searching for freezer facilities. Time is the enemy. Every hour without freezing capacity means more records lost to mould. Every day of delay means more families without proof of their homes, their citizenship, their rights. We are asking for freezers, but we are really asking you to help preserve the documentary infrastructure of our nation.”