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Rains bring smile to drought-hit farmers; DMC issues disaster warning
The current wet weather conditions have finally brought relief to drought stricken farmers, who suffered hardship due to lack of water for cultivation.
The Director of Irrigation, Water Management and Training W B Palugaswewa told the Sunday Times that the prevailing weather conditions will be favourable for paddy cultivation in the East and the North Eastern provinces.
According to Mr Palugaswewa, the forecast is favourable and sufficient rainfall is expected to increase the water levels to provide for cultivation purposes and crop damage can be avoided. The Meteorological Department said that heavy rains associated with strong winds are expected to prevail during this month and November.
Relief to residents: As Puttalam received rain after a prolonged drought, a father and son enjoy a walk on Puttalam Wewa that filled up a little yesterday. Pic by Hiran Priyankara
Duty meteorologist Kason Pasqual said that thundershowers can occur in any part of the island and according to the usual pattern, rains are expected during the evenings. However there can be areas which may experience rains the whole day. The director of development and media spokesman to the Ministry of Power and Renewable Energy, Sulakshana Jayawardena said that the average water levels of the main six reservoirs have increased to 75%.
“The main impact of the current weather is that the increasing water levels in the reservoirs will reduce the daily demand,’’ he said.
However, according to Mr Jayawardena, the negative impact, on the other hand, is associated with heavy winds as a result of which people can face frequent interruptions to their power supply due to trees falling on power transmission lines. Meanwhile, the Disaster Management Centre said that the prevailing weather conditions have caused severe damage in Kurunegala and Puttalam districts.
Deputy director and media spokesman, Pradeep Kodippili said that the most number of casualties were reported from Chilaw and Anamaduwa.
The DMC with the help of the Ministry of Disaster Management has given Rs 10,000 compensation on the spot to the people affected. A team has been sent to assess damaged houses.
Moreover, District Secretary of Puttalam N.H.M. Chithrananda told the Sunday Times that Anamaduwa, Pallama and Mahakumbukkadawala were the worst affected areas. He revealed that 200 families and houses are affected in Anamaduwa, while 117 houses and 146 families are affected in Pallama. And 386 houses and families are affected in the Mahakumbukkadawala area.
According to Mr Chithrananda, a school and a temple in the Puttalam district have been severely damaged.
- Traffic built up as Colombo saw heavy rains yesterday. Pic by Priyantha Wickramaarachchi