Emergency Communication Equipment for Sri Lanka
Prepared By: The Radio Society Of Sri Lanka (RSSL)
Date: 20.12.2025
Executive Summary
According to DMC records as of 16 December 2025, over 2.18 million people were affected nationwide, with severe impact in the Northern (≈540,000), Eastern (≈620,000) and North Central Provinces (≈480,000). Emergency communications relied on RSSL VHF repeaters linking these regions to Colombo Disaster Management Center via RSSL Radio Station at Telecommunication Regulatory Commission. Had the Pidurutalagala and Yatiyantota repeater systems failed, isolation would have escalated, delaying rescues and relief. The proposed equipment prevents single-point failures and ensures islandwide disaster response continuity.
These repeater and power upgrades are permanent national emergency communication assets aligned with RSSL’s long term disaster preparedness vision. While Cyclonic Storm Ditwah exposed the vulnerability, the equipment is intended for future cyclones, floods, landslides, droughts, and national emergencies, ensuring resilient islandwide communication at all times.
How the Provided Equipment Will Contribute to Local Search & Rescue Efforts
The proposed emergency communication equipment enables real-time coordination of search, rescue, evacuation, and medical response in disaster-affected areas where commercial communication systems fail. HF systems provide inter-provincial and national connectivity between isolated districts and command centres in Colombo, while VHF base stations, repeaters, and handheld radios support last-mile coordination among police, military units, health services, and local authorities. Independent power systems allow continuous operation during prolonged outages, enabling rescue tasking, victim location reporting, medical referrals, and relief logistics to proceed without interruption, significantly reducing response time and loss of life.
During Cyclonic Storm Ditwah operations, the number of deployable stations was severely constrained by the limited availability of operational equipment. These were the only functioning assets available for deployment nationwide. As a result, mid-operation requests for assistance from Nuwara Eliya, Badulla, Matale, and Wilgamuwa could not be supported, despite urgent needs. Similarly, during the Ratnapura–Kalawana flood (2017-18) situation, the absence of portable field repeaters meant HF was the only feasible option; however, the limited number of operators equipped for sustained HF operations reduced effectiveness. Availability of additional portable and temporary field repeaters, particularly five additional units, would have enabled effective VHF coverage across the Northern and Eastern regions and significantly improved field-level coordination.
Regarding long-term coverage and sustainability, RSSL has conducted educational and outreach sessions in the Northern and Eastern Provinces, receiving strong community feedback and interest. Due to historical restrictions on amateur radio equipment during the civil conflict, these regions have limited operator density. With the situation now fully normalised, RSSL plans to actively onboard and train new operators from the Northern Province to expand community-based emergency communication capacity. However, RSSL has no independent financial strength to procure major equipment, portable generators, or backup power systems. During recent operations, volunteers relied heavily on personal equipment and privately sourced power solutions. External support is therefore essential to build a resilient, inclusive, and islandwide emergency communication network.
Overview of the Radio Society of Sri Lanka
Founded in 1950, The Radio Society of Sri Lanka (RSSL) is the oldest and only internationally recognised organisation in Sri Lanka representing licensed amateur radio operators under the regulatory framework of the TRCSL. Along with its emergency affiliate, the Amateur Radio Civil Services Network (ARCSN), RSSL provides trained volunteer operators, resilient HF/VHF infrastructure, and 24/7 emergency communication support to the Disaster Management Centre, TRCSL, armed forces, police, and health services. RSSL has supported national disaster response operations for decades, delivering reliable communication during floods, cyclones, landslides, and other emergencies. All proposed equipment forms part of a permanent national disaster preparedness capability.
Equipment Purpose & Rationale
The distribution of the proposed emergency communication equipment are directly aligned with the operational capacity of the Radio Society of Sri Lanka (RSSL). RSSL maintains an active pool of trained disaster response volunteers, consisting of both licensed amateur radio operators and non-licensed support volunteers who assist with logistics, power systems, antenna deployment, message handling, and coordination tasks under supervision. This mixed-capability volunteer model enables rapid scaling of operations during national emergencies.
a) HF Transceivers (Base & Portable)
Purpose: Long-range communication when fibre, microwave, and mobile networks are unavailable. Enables parallel national coordination, redundancy, and simultaneous operations in Central, Uva, Northern, Eastern, North Central, and Southern regions.
b) VHF Base Stations
Purpose: District-level coordination with Divisional Secretariats, police, hospitals, and relief centres.
One per high-risk district ensures uninterrupted local command and control. DMC has already requested RSSL to establish Amateur Radio Shacks in each of their offices in all 25 districts and the Amateur Radio operators close by to assist in operations.
c) VHF/UHF Handheld Radios
Purpose: Field communication for rescue teams, shelter managers, and mobile assessment units. Supports multiple teams operating concurrently across wide geographic areas.
d) Repeater Systems (Upgrade Deniyaya, Pidurutalagala, Yatiyantota and cover North & East)
Purpose: Upgrade existing repeaters with backup and extend coverage to North and East Provinces. Redundancy is essential to eliminate single-point failures; loss of these sites would severely fragment islandwide emergency communications. Current repeaters do not cover the North and East. Deniyaya (South) repeater is non functional due to a fault.
e) Antenna Systems (HF & VHF)
Purpose: Rapid establishment of reliable communication in diverse terrain, within a short period. Multi-band antennas ensure flexibility and operational resilience.
f) Backup Power Systems (Generators, Portable Power Stations, Solar, Batteries)
Purpose: Sustain operations during multi-day grid failures. Quantity Rationale: DMC records confirm outages exceeding 72 hours during cyclones and floods.
Sustainability and Implementation
The Radio Society of Sri Lanka (RSSL) will install, operate, maintain, and routinely test all equipment, train volunteer operators, and integrate assets into disaster preparedness exercises.
CONTACT – Radio Society of Sri Lanka
For verification, coordination, and logistical arrangements, please contact:
- Postal Address : PO Box 907, Colombo, Sri Lanka
- Email : [email protected]
- Phone : +94 71 4214404 (President: Tharanga 4S6TMP)
- Website : https://rssl.lk
- Facebook : https://facebook.com/4s7rs
- LinkedIn : https://www.linkedin.com/company/4s7rs/
- Learning Portal : https://learn.rssl.lk
Thank you!