News
SW monsoon deluge: Take weather warnings seriously
Eight have died, and 45,344 have been badly affected by the onset of the Southwest monsoon along with strong winds.
Giving the casualty figures, the Disaster Management Centre (DMC) director, Major General (Retd.) Udaya Herath, told the Sunday Times that much of the rain-related damage was in the Western, Southern, and Central provinces as well as the Puttalam District.
In the Central Province, a few were reported to have suffered minor injuries from falling trees. The DMC is advising parents to watch over children who are going on trips and also participating in various outdoor activities.
Aerial view of one of the worst affected districts, Puttalam. Pic by Hiran Priyankara
The National Building Research Organisation (NBRO), the Department of Meteorology, the Department of Irrigation, and the DMC all advise people to take their warnings seriously.
Puttalam Divisional Secretary S.P. Weerasekara said that the area had experienced 200 millimetres of rain and that 8,098 families had been badly affected. Around 30,000 people are now displaced.
The Puttalam District’s Disaster Management Centre (DMC) reports that flooding has rendered numerous government offices, including the Puttalam office of the Department of Meteorology, inoperable.
According to the Puttalam DMC office, the district has been experiencing flooding since May 18.
Meanwhile, after weeks of downpours that resulted in floods and led to the closure of the Ella-Wellawaya main road, Ella Divisional Secretary Indika Pathirana said that the situation was under control.
The Road Development Authority (RDA) and the NBRO have decided to close the road if the rainfall exceeds 50 millimetres. The Ella-Wellawaya main road has been reopened.
They noted that there had been landslides in some areas above the road. Farmers are suffering, too. They urged residents and visitors to avoid the road during heavy rains.
The National Organiser of the All Ceylon Farmers’ Federation, Namal Karunaratne, said the extreme dry spell experienced before the rains had taken a heavy toll on agriculture, reducing yields and increasing disease pressure.
Susantha Nawaratne, the vice president of the All Island Agrarian Services Union, said vegetable fields were now inundated, potentially causing catastrophic financial losses.
He said most paddy fields in low-lying areas of Anuradhapura District were facing devastation.
Engineer Nilantha Danapala, Director General (Technical Services) of the Mahaweli Authority and Director of the Water Management Secretariat, said that in many reservoirs that come under the Mahaweli Authority, the water level had reached 77 percent.
According to him, Kala Wewa, Udawalawe, and Rajanganaya reservoirs have reached the spill level. He also said they were on alert as more intense rain was predicted in the next few days, and they expected floods in the upper Mahaweli region, extending from Polgolla to Kotmale and the Kelani basin.
Irrigation Department Director S.P.C. Sugeeshwara said the Attanagalu Oya could overflow and cause flooding in the days to come. He advises drivers and pedestrians to be alert and avoid taking risks.
Additionally, the Kuda Ganga of the Kalu Ganga has reached the overflow level, increasing the likelihood of flooding in Bulathsinhala Pradeshiya Sabha’s low-lying areas.
Also, the water levels in the Deduru Oya, Maha Oya, Kelani, and Kalu and Gin River basins continue to spill over and threaten to inundate low-lying districts.
Meril Mendis, the deputy director (weather forecasting and early warning) of the Department of Meteorology, said the southwest monsoon would last until September. The existing depression over the Bay of Bengal is predicted to cause high winds, with gusts of 20 to 30 kilometres per hour, especially in the Western and Southern Provinces, he said.
The department expects the downpours to ease next week. It has also warned the fishing and naval communities to exercise caution.
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