News
Flood toll mounts as authorities assess long-term damage
Forty deaths, 40,000 people in shelters, 25,000 houses damaged and more than 75,000 hectares of paddy land destroyed – the devastation caused by widespread floods and landslides in 22 districts will cause long-term hardship, officials said.
More than a million people have suffered due to the torrential rains over the past two weeks, the Disaster Management Centre (DMC) said.
Badulla, the worst-hit district, reported 19 deaths with two people missing – their families have now given up the search for them. Landslides have damaged more than 1,500 houses, mostly in Hali Ela and Bandarawela.
A school in Karuwalgaswewa now turned into a shelter for flood victims
More than 40,000 people rescued from flooding and landslide hazard are temporarily housed in 316 safe locations, the DMC said.
Batticaloa Government Agent, P.S.M. Charles, said though floodwaters there have receded paddy lands have been destroyed, causing losses to farmers.
“Most of the people are returning to their homes. But the concern is loss of livelihood. It will take some time to recover from the losses caused by floods,” Mr. Charles said.
At least 75,000 hectares of paddy land have been destroyed, with Anuradhapura, Batticaloa, Ampara, Polonnaruwa, Trincomalee and Kurunegala suffering heavy losses, the Agriculture Department’s Director, Socio Economics and Planning Stanley Perera, said.
The department is assessing the total loss to the agricultural sector, including up-country cultivation.
Many hundreds of families in the Northern Province have fled their homes due to flooding and found refuge in temporary shelters; they include 839 families in Mannar, 679 in Kilinochchi and 825 in Vavuniya.
After the floods: A farmer in Polonnaruwa tries to reclaim a paddy field. Pix by Karuwalgaswewa Jayaratne
In Anuradhapura, there were 84 relief camps during the height of the floods but this has decreased to two centres as the waters receded, said District Secretary (GA), Mahinda Seneviratne. Large areas of Anuradhapura, including the sacred city, were flooded last week after a number of tanks overflowed.
In the Central Province, more than 4,000 families are sheltering in schools and other makeshift refuges, the majority coming from the Nuwara Eliya district, especially from Walapane and Hanguranketa. Doluwa, Udapalatha, Poojapitiya, Akurana and Pathadumbara in Kandy were also affected by the inclement weather.
In Kurunegala, more than 500 houses were damaged by heavy rains; in Kegalle, 148; in Moneragala, more than 100; in Matara, 50; in Jaffna, more than 100.
The Disaster Management Coordinator for Puttalam, Colonel T.A.P. Thalwatta, said the Puttalam-Mannar road was closed as it is badly damaged.
Military assistance was being given to clean wells contaminated by floodwaters.
Disaster Management Co-ordinator for Badulla, E.M.L.U. Kumara, said local authorities were involved in the difficult task of finding safe alternative land for the displaced.
“People are still in safe locations as the NBRO (National Building Research Organisation) has not yet lifted its warning. Although the rains have stopped, the risk of landslides still exists, especially along Badulla-Bandarawela area,” he said.
The NBRO said it was currently assessing the risk of landslides associated with human settlements in mountainous areas, having concluded this week that 4,292 families are living in places highly vulnerable to landslides.
Train services to the hill country are stopped at Nanu-Oya following severe damage to rail track from rockfalls and earthslips.
The Sunday Times learns the flood-related loss incurred in the hill country railways is about Rs.120 million.
The worst disaster was near the Ambewela railway station with ground under part of the track collapsing to a depth of 60 feet.
There is some respite ahead: the Meteorology Department said that the Northern, Eastern and Uva provinces will receive showers from time-to-time but other areas would experience fair and warm weather in the coming days. The Western and Sabaragamuwa provinces and the Galle and Matara districts will receive morning rains.
“Usually there are disturbances in the North-East monsoon period, but for a week’s time there won’t be a disturbance that would cause heavy showers,” said the Department’s Deputy Director (Forecasts), S.R. Jayasekera.
The Ministry of Finance and Planning issued a Special Budget Circular 152 (III) this week on disaster relief for those affected by the recent floods and landslides.
The circular requests all GAs and divisional secretaries to provide cooked meals for those in welfare centres, provide bedsheets and other essential items worth Rs. 5000 for each family and dry rations for the victims.
Local authorities are instructed to immediately clean drainage while military assistance is to be given to rebuild houses damaged by floods and landslides.
Students who have lost books and school equipment in the floods will each receive Rs. 2000 to replace their losses.
The government employees’ disaster loan scheme lending limit was doubled to Rs. 500,000 and the 10-month repayment period also doubled.