News
The clouds will break with a mighty bang
Vuvuniya town: A water bowser sprinkles water on the main road to cool things down. Pic by Priyantha Hewage
Thunderstorms and heavy rain will occur round the country with more than 80mm of rain falling in many areas from 2 p.m. tomorrow. The drought-affected North, East, South and North-Western provinces will all experience rain, the Department of Meteorology said.
The department also warned of “temporary localised strong winds” during the thunderstorms.
Anuradhapura, Colombo, Galle, Kandy, Nuwara Eliya, Ratnapura, Batticaloa and Trincomalee are to expect rain while, from tomorrow morning rain culd start falling in the coastal area extending from Galle to Pottuvil via Matara and Hambantota, Duty
Meteorologist Nimal Bandara said.
Yakawewa in the Anuradhapura district had the highest rainfall earlier this week at 55mm.
The maximum temperature of 37.1C was reported from Vauniya, while Nuwara Eliya had the minimum temperature, 12.5C.
Usually the inter-monsoonal period ends in mid-April but the current weather situation will prevail until mid-May because of the strong El Nino effect, the former director of the Meteorology Department, K.R. Abayasinghe, said.
The current pattern will continue because there is no cloud formation above Sri Lanka and this results in fog, frost and cold temperatures upcountry, Mr. Abayasinghe said.
There was a 10-minute hailstorm in Kelaniya during the week with some sizeable hailstones. Meteorology Department Forecasting Division Director Sarath Premalal said small hail is not uncommon at this time.
Despite good falls of rain temperature levels and humidity will remain above normal until next month, Mr. Premalal said.
“Chilly nights and mornings will be experienced throughout the western parts of the country. Adding to these weather conditions are the atmospheric disturbances that cause strong winds,” he said.
Heavy winds, rain and landslides this week caused damage that affected about 424 people, with Kelaniya the worst hit area, Disaster Management Centre (DMC) Deputy Director Pradeep Kodipilli said.
In Kelaniya, 133 houses were damaged, with further damage reported in Kegalle district (25 homes) and in Kurunegala (35 homes). In Ratnapura, five people were injured in a landslide.
In Mannar, meanwhile, there is a vastly different picture with more than 15,000 people (3,600 families) suffering from the effects of the prolonged dry spell. Mannar District Secretary M.Y.S. Deshapriya said the Irrigation Department has dammed waterways leading to sluices in order to preserve water. Almost all the AGA divisions are affected.
Water and dry rations are being provided to suffering families. “Daily, 40,000 litres of water is distributed through 14 browsers,” Mr. Deshapriya said. “Unfortunately, villagers in the rural areas do not have wide-mouthed 50-litre or 100-litre barrels to collect and store water,” he added.
National Water Supply and Drainage Board (NWSDB) Chairman Alahudeen Ansar said parts of Kalutara, Matara and Badulla districts faced a severe drinking water problem as the salinity of river water had increased in the dry spell.
“We had to provide drinking water by sending water tanks and bowsers to certain areas. After several days of heavy rain, however, the situation has now markedly improved,” he said.
Badulla District Secretary Nimal Abeysiri said the district was now experiencing heavy rains and there was no water shortage. NWSDB Deputy General Manager A. Latiff said in some parts of the province the board had been forced to cut the water supply for hours.
Nuwara Eliya District Secretary K.H.M Meegasmulla said there were sudden drops in temperature and it was expected that some nights would be as cold as 9-10C.
“Most of the victims of extreme cold weather are beggars and visitors to Nuwara Eliya. When the temperature starts dropping we are to provide necessary facilities to street dwellers. Unfortunately, those visiting are not aware of measures to be taken during such weather,” he said.
Nuwara Eliya General Hospital Director Dr. Anura Jayasekera said low temperatures affect asthmatic and elderly heart patients. If the temperature drops below freezing point, blood-related diseases, headaches and muscle cramps can also occur.
“Such patients should wear warm clothes, gloves and socks and take warm drinks. Pregnant females and infants should take extra care to keep warm,” he said.
Incessant rains compelled Udawalawe irrigation engineers to open five spill gates of the Udawalawe reservoir in Hambantota to almost two feet, resulting in approximately 16,600 cubic feet of water being released into the Walawe River.
Weather-related disease may be easily transmitted or acquired especially with the onset of the rainy season, Health authorities warn the public to take health precautions to ward off sicknesses common at this time.
Members of the public are advised to obtain a vaccination against flu and eat a healthy diet to boost the immune system, Ministry of Health Chief Epidemiologist Dr. Paba Palihawadana said.
“Some people can also get fungal infections in the ear because of the humidity and develop nasal and throat allergies,” the Colombo National Hospital’s Head of Nursing, Pushpa R. Soysa said. “In the rainy season, there are an increased number of patients with upper respiratory tract infections, common cold, sinusitis, ear infections,” she said.
“Every year we see about an 8-10 per cent rise in these ailments when the rains begin.”
Waterborne diseases, influenza, leptospirosis, and dengue can spread fast, with added danger of infection and illness coming from floodwater contaminated with garbage.