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Disaster response moblised as floods sweep through Lanka
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This combo made from pictures from the provinces tells a story of the floody hell caused by the extreme weather experience throughout this week. The main picture shows devastation in the Daduru Oya low-lying areas. The other two pictures are from Bowatenna and Nochchimotai. Pix by Hiran Priyankara, Sithum Chathuranga, Kanchana Kumara
By Kasun Warakapitiya and Sandun Jayawardena
The deep depression that gathered momentum over the week in the Bay of Bengal left a trail of destruction in the northern and eastern parts of Sri Lanka, affecting more than 465,000 people and causing at least 16 deaths and 19 injuries.
The inclement weather has impacted almost the entire country and affected 138,944 families by last afternoon (30). Some of the heavily affected districts were Ampara, Batticaloa, Trincomalee, Mullaitivu, Vavuniya, Kilinochchi, and Jaffna.
The northern and eastern parts of the country experienced showers and thundershowers of more than 150 mm. Other areas received between 100 and 75 mm of rain.
The depression later converted into a cyclone, named “Fengal,” and it was moving towards Tamil Nadu by Friday evening. Accordingly, its effect on Sri Lanka was weakening.
According to statistics released by the Disaster Management Centre (DMC) yesterday, 98 houses were completely damaged while 2,333 houses suffered partial damage. Some 245 safe locations were arranged to shelter 29,596 persons from 8,984 families.
Of the 16 deaths reported, 11 were from the Ampara district. Seven deaths occurred at Karaitivu, Ampara, when a tractor carrying madrasa students toppled near Mawadi Bridge. In a separate incident, one person drowned while he went to inspect a brick-making facility. A body of another drowned person was found at Kalmunai. In another incident, a fisherman who was fishing in the Pottuvil lagoon drowned when his boat capsized.
Puttalam too reported two deaths. One death occurred when a person fell into a drainage near the Mawathagama trade area. The other victim was a 74-year-old man. He was killed when a coconut tree fell on his house in Wennappuwa.
The Badulla, Vavuniya, and Trincomalee Districts reported a death each. In Bandarawela in the Badulla district, a retaining wall collapsed, killing a man. At Kuchchaveli in Trincomalee, a fisherman drowned when his boat toppled. In South Vavuniya, a man who was observing the opening of the sluice gates of the Mahakachchikodiya tank was swept away by the force of the water and killed.
DMC Director General Major General (Retd) Udaya Herath warned people living near rivers and canals, and in low-lying areas, to be vigilant as the water levels remain high and many of the major tanks’ sluice gates are being opened.
He said that even though the weather situation had slightly improved, people still needed to remain alert. “People should be proactive in disaster situations. If we become reactive, that means no action has been taken,” he said.
The DMC is managing the post-disaster situation and calculating damages, providing food and water to the displaced. It is also directing medical health facilities to serve people in flood-hit areas, providing them with cleaning water and helping them to return to their houses after water recedes.
Maj. Gen. Herath said funds had been disbursed to district secretariats in affected areas to provide meals to the affected people who are currently being housed in safe locations. He said they would ask for additional funds from the Treasury if the need arose.
Agrarian Development Commissioner General U.B. Rohana Rajapaksha said they were assessing the damages caused to cultivation areas.
He added that more than 100 small irrigation tanks had suffered damage and another 100 small irrigation tanks are at risk of getting damaged.
Mr. Rajapaksha said moves were underway to repair the damaged tanks on a priority basis so that recultivation could start no sooner than the weather improved.
In the north and east, too, several tanks have suffered heavy damage, he said. According to Mr. Rajapaksha, in Vavuniya alone, 55 small tanks have been damaged.
In the affected areas, district secretaries said that they were providing shelter, food, and medical care to the displaced.
Ampara District Secretary Chinthaka Abeywickrema said that paddy cultivation in the district had been heavily affected, leaving 74,000 acres of paddy submerged under water while 5,200 acres of paddy had been destroyed.
He added that his district also reported the highest number of deaths. Initially, 52 displaced camps were set up in his district, but on Friday around 10,000 persons had been sent back to their homes.
Trincomalee District Secretary Chaminda Hettiarchchi told the Sunday Times that there are 12 displaced camps within the district, and they are providing shelter to 315 families. He added that around 64 houses have been damaged.
The number of displaced people would increase further as the Mahaweli River is swelling due to rains and is expected to burst its banks from the Seruwila and Verugal areas.
He said the district reported one death, and it was from the Kuchchaveli Divisional Secretariat area.
In the Batticaloa District, one of the heavily affected areas, District Secretary J.J. Muraleetharan said that though the rain had stopped, the floodwaters had not completely receded. She added that 72,029 persons of 23,999 families have been affected by the floods.
The district secretary said 8,337 people from 2,910 families had taken refuge in 56 camps set up for the displaced. Apart from that, another 18,655 people are staying at their relatives’ houses.
Ms. Muraleetharan said that even though rains had stopped, houses and cultivation areas still remained under water. Some of the roads are still underwater, causing a delay in the restoration of normalcy.
Some people were isolated in their houses owing to floods. Therefore, military boats were deployed to rescue those who were trapped in their houses.
She added that the Disaster Management Ministry has provided funds for them to provide meals for the displaced persons in camps while non-governmental organisations are providing dry rations to the affected people.
Meanwhile, the Sri Lanka Army, Navy, and Air Force have been working around the clock to rescue people left stranded and provide urgent care to those in need. On Friday, an Army Disaster Response Team rescued six people, including two children, from a house in Kandy. The inmates were trapped after a landslide swept away a section of the stairs leading to the house. The Navy has deployed 10 relief teams in the Ampara, Trincomalee, and Anuradhapura districts to assist communities impacted by the flooding. A further 125 relief teams are being kept on standby. The Air Force too is involved in transporting supplies by air and in evacuating persons stranded by floodwaters.
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