Extreme weather causes further havoc

Several parts of the island are battling extreme weather conditions, with major flooding and rising water levels in reservoirs.

The District Disaster Management Coordinating Unit of Ambalantota said that many houses have been flooded owing to the rise in the water level of the Walawe River due to the opening of five sluice gates in the Udawalawe Reservoir yesterday (22).

Accordingly, five sluice gates have been opened to manage the rise in the water level of the Udawalawe Reservoir after heavy rains in the catchment areas of the Udawalawe Reservoir, and 17,400 meters per second will be released to the Walawe River by today morning, the Hambantota District Waste Management Center mentioned.

An official of the Hambantota District Disaster Management Center stressed that due to the flood situation, many houses in Waduruppa, Jansagama, Mamadala, Ridiyagama, Bolana, Puhulyaya as well as in the reserve area of the Walawe River have been flooded and the number of houses that have been submerged has not yet been calculated. 

However, residents are being urged to exercise caution by the Divisional Irrigation Engineer’s Office of Ambalantota as well as the District Disaster Management Coordinating Unit of Hambantota District. 

Meanwhile, the Anamaduwa Police say that downpours in the Anamaduwa area yesterday (22) triggered major flooding in many main roads and side roads causing severe disruption on traffic movement. 

Besides, residents of the area noted that intense downpours that hit Anamaduwa yesterday were the heaviest of the month. 

Due to heavy rains, a number of the city’s side roads were also submerged, including the Puttalam-Kurunegala road.

Residents of Anamaduwa were in dire straits as a result of torrential rains, which also caused area lakes above the city to overflow and submerge the roadways. That said, houses and Anamaduwa Divisional Education Office were also seen inundated.

Text and pix by: Rahul Samantha Hettiarachchi and Hiran Priyankara Jayasinghe