News
Prolonged monsoon rains cause death, destruction and displacement
View(s):By Jayanie Madawala
More than 50,000 people in the Matara District have been affected, District Secretary, Y. Wickramasiri said yesterday evening.
He said areas such as Athuraliya, Malimbada, Thiyagoda, Kamburupitiya and Akuressa have been hit hard by floods.
Disaster Management Matara District Coordinator Ajantha Widhanage said that over 14,104 persons of 3,558 families have been directly affected by the floods while another 33,527 persons of 9,288 families have been cutoff in areas. He added that more than 300 houses were damaged. The displaced are being housed at six centres.
The water level at the Nilwala River had reached 7.21 metres and this has resulted in floods in many areas, he said, adding that Matara town was also vulnerable to floods if rains persisted.
Akuressa: One of the worst affected areas in Matara. Pic by Priyantha Dasanayake
So far, six people have lost their lives and 20 have been injured. Five of these deaths occurred when a tree fell on a Sri Lanka Transport Board bus in Kollupitiya. Elsewhere, 720 properties have been damaged.
Thihagoda and Malimbada areas in the Matara District were the worst affected as rains worsened and flood levels increased, forcing people to leave their homes for more than 12 days.
Vehicle movement towards Weligama and Akuressa has been stalled due to the inundation of the Kokmaduwa exit on the Southern Expressway. Early landslide warnings have been issued by the National Building and Research Organisation for multiple areas in nine districts, including Colombo.
A Level 2 (Amber) warning was issued for several areas in the Galle, Kalutara, Matara, and Ratnapura districts: Galle, Elpitiya, and Neluwa Divisional Secretariat Divisions (DSD) and surrounding areas; Kalutara-Ingiriya, Walallawita, and Mathugama DSDs and surrounding areas; Matara-Akuressa and Pitabeddara DSDs and surrounding areas; and Ratnapura-Kuruwita, Ratnapura, Elapatha, Eheliyagoda, and Kalawana DSDs and surrounding areas.
A Level 1 (yellow) warning was issued for the following areas:
Colombo-Seethawaka and Padukka Divisional Secretariat Divisions (DSD) and surrounding areas; Galle-Ngoda, Galle Four Gravets, Thawalama, Ambalangoda, Niyagama, Akmeemana, Imaduwa, Bope Poddala, Yakkalamulla, and Baddegama DSDs, and surrounding areas; Gampaha-Mirigama DSD and surrounding areas; and Hambantota-Walasmulla DSD and surrounding areas.
Many incidents were also reported around the country.
The tree near the Liberty Roundabout in Kollupitiya fell onto an SLTB bus plying from Colombo to Deniyaya via Matugama, killing five and injuring 17. (See related story on page 6)
A 77-year-old resident of Weliwatta, Galle, was killed when two large boulders toppled onto the room in which he was sleeping. The victim was identified as Amarasiri Wijeyasinghe.
| Schools to remain closed Schools in the Matara district will remain closed on Monday (09) and Tuesday (10). The schools were closed on Thursday (05) and the District Disaster Management Committee has decided to extend the period.
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A large-scale landslide occurred in Akuressa, Matara, and 108 people from 31 families were evacuated from Thennapitihena Kanda.
Locals claimed that following the first landslide, the mountains collapsed two more times. So far, 15 houses have been severely damaged.
At the first signs of a possible disaster, the Akuressa police and the divisional secretary had taken measures to evacuate people from 21 families. They are sheltered at the Diyalpe Junior School; later, 10 more families were evacuated.
One person has died in Weliwatte, Galle, after a rock fell onto a house. In Matara, 30 families were evacuated.
All government schools in the Matara District were closed on October 5 and 6. In Akuressa, Athuraliya, Malimbada, Thihagoda, and Kamburupitiya, divisional secretariat buildings also came under water. Since October 2, troops in the Matara District have been working alongside divisional secretariats, the DMC, the police, and the Navy on evacuation, relief, and relocations.
Assistant Director (District) DMC, Kalutara, said many roads in Walallawita, Madurawala, Bulathsinhala, and Millaniya were inundated.
Spill gates at the Kukuleganga reservoir have been opened.
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