Landslide warnings as monsoon gets activated

Shirley Wijesinghe

The Southwest monsoon will be fully activated at any moment intensifying the present rainy condition particularly in the Western part of the island, a Meteorology Department official told the Daily News yesterday.

Meanwhile, the National Building Research Organisation (NBRO) yesterday warned residents of Kandy, Kegalle, Ratnapura, Matale and Nuwara Eliya to be vigilant on landslides.

It is regrettable that such warnings had been underestimated by the people even in the most vulnerable areas, the NBRO official said.

The Meteorology Department official added that the depression that erupted in the Bay of Bengal will cause increased wind velocity. The public should follow simple precautionary measures to protect themselves from lightning hazards.

Most people ignore Department advisories due to their busy life-style, he said.

Commenting on the possible flood situation in Ratnapura and the Kalu Ganga flood plain, Ratnapura District Secretary H.W. Gunadasa said the water level of Kalu Ganga is not rising. A Ceylon Electricity Board (CEB) official said that the total storage for hydro power generation with CEB has increased by around 24 GWh during the last 24 hours.

A moderate rain fall was received by all reservoirs including major Mahaweli reservoirs and there is no threat of any future power cut, the official added.