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Rain and wind lash the country; Met Dept. warns of landslides, flooding and rough seas
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Earth slips that caused the temporary closure of the Ambadandegama road, a by-pass route leading to Ella, have since been cleared. Pix by Prasad Rukmal
By Jayanie Madawala
The prevailing showery, windy weather conditions will intensify over the country while the seas will be rough, the Meteorology Department has warned.
Showers or thundershowers exceeding 100 mm could occur in the Western, Sabaragamuwa, North-Western, and Southern Provinces and in the districts of Kandy and Nuwara Eliya.
Fairly strong winds of about 30–40 kmph can be expected at times in the Southern Province.
The highest rainfall was recorded at 100.2mm in Galle district.
The National Building Research Organisation has issued landslide early warnings (level 1) to eight districts, including Badulla, Kalutara, Kandy, Kegalle, Kurunegala, Matale, Nuwara Eliya, and Ratnapura. The warning was issued after the areas received rainfall exceeding 100 mm in the past 24 hours.
Meanwhile, 10355 people belonging to 3532 families across the country are facing hardships due to the inclement weather.
Janaka Handunpathirajage of the Disaster Management Centre said five deaths related to lighting incidents were reported from Kegalle and Ratnapura districts.
Senior meteorologist Chaminda de Silva said during lightning it was not safe to be outside, on or near hilltops, in or near rivers, lakes, or other bodies of water. It was advisable to stay away from open areas, avoid touching metal objects, avoid riding bicycles or open vehicles, and stay away from clothing lines, fences, and exposed sheds. He also advised people to unplug all electrical devices.
Roads were closed temporarily due to earth slips in some areas.
Landslide risk warnings were issued for the Karandagolla area and Badulla district.
The Ella-Wellawaya main road that was closed temporarily due to bad weather conditions was reopened for traffic, Udaya Kumara, Assistant Director of the Badulla DMC, said, adding that in the event of an emergency, it might be temporarily closed again.
Drivers have been asked to exercise caution. Operational police barricades have been erected.
The earth slips that caused the temporary closure of the Ambadandegama road, a by-pass route leading to Ella, have since been cleared.
An earth slip was also reported on Bandarawela, Bambaragala-Pitawala road.
S.P.C. Sugeeshwara, Director of Hydrology and Disaster Management of the Irrigation Department, has issued warnings about the possibility of floods occurring in one or more river basins. The areas cover low-lying areas surrounding the Deduru Oya, Maha Oya, Aththanagalla Oya, Kelani Ganga, Kalu Ganga, Benthara Ganga, Gin Ganga, Nilwala Ganga, Kirama Oya, Uruboku Oya, Malwathu Oya, and Mahaweli Ganga.
The sluice gates of several reservoirs have been opened, including the eight sluice gates of Rajanganaya in Anuradhapura district.
| First it was dry weather, now NE farmers fear the rainBy Shelton HettiarachchiAdverse weather conditions in the Nuwara Eliya district has affected vegetable cultivations once again. The heavy rains experienced last year caused much damage to cultivation and affected the livelihoods of farmers. In 2023 farming in the area almost collapsed due to heavy rains and potato cultivations began amidst much difficulties. In January this year the dry weather spell also affected cultivation and farmers who could not obtain water for irrigation abandoned their crops. Farmers complain that there is no proper mechanism or institution in place to help them overcome hardships caused by extreme weather patterns. | |
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