Photo credit: ADPC

Colombo, Sri Lanka 23 January 2026 - The Asian Disaster Preparedness Center (ADPC), in collaboration with the Department of Meteorology (DoM) - Sri Lanka’s National Meteorological Service Provider, jointly convened a stakeholder workshop under the Climate Resilience Multi-Phase Programmatic Approach (CResMPA). The workshop presented the modernization roadmap developed during the first phase of the project and highlighted expected outputs and service improvements across key stakeholder sectors.

The CResMPA initiative, financed by the Government of Sri Lanka with support from the World Bank, aims to strengthen DoM’s operational capacity to deliver reliable, timely, and user-focused weather and climate services. ADPC serves as the Systems Integrator (SI) for the modernization efforts.

Sri Lanka’s geography and climate make it highly exposed to extreme weather and climate variability. Timely and accurate weather and climate information is critical to safeguarding lives, livelihoods, and national development. Effective meteorological services support early warning systems, disaster preparedness, and climate-informed planning for sectors including agriculture, water resource management, disaster risk management, and tourism. These services help communities and institutions anticipate risks, reduce losses, and adapt to increasing climate variability and change.

Photo credit: ADPC

The urgency of this modernization has been underscored by the devastating impacts of Cyclone Ditwah in late November 2025, which brought intense rainfall, flooding, and landslides across Sri Lanka. The cyclone triggered some of the worst floods and landslides the country has seen in years, resulting in hundreds of fatalities, widespread displacement, severe damage to infrastructure and housing, and disruption of livelihoods. The scale of the disaster highlighted the importance of robust weather forecasting and risk communication systems for early warnings and preparedness planning.

At the workshop, Dr. Senaka Basnayake, Program Lead – Climate Services, ADPC, delivered a presentation outlining the project’s objectives, progress to date, and expected stakeholder benefits. His presentation also introduced the implementation roadmap during the session titled “Overview of DoM Modernization under CResMPA and Introduction to Implementation Roadmap.”

Photo credit: ADPC

Dr. Basnayake also contributed to panel discussions on the Media Presentation Facility and the Goals of Modernization, as well as Proposed Recommendations, System Designs, and the Modernization Roadmap for DoM. These sessions provided a valuable platform for open dialogue, stakeholder feedback, and collaborative refinement of the modernization pathway.

The workshop reaffirmed ADPC’s commitment to Resilient Development Planning and Implementation by providing targeted technical support to government institutions and stakeholders. Through this initiative, ADPC continues to promote evidence-based tools and practices for climate risk reduction, drawing on its multidisciplinary expertise in climate resilience and disaster risk management.

For more information, please contact: adpc@adpc.net