With North East monsoon:

Landslide threat

Kandy, Matale, N’Eliya, Badulla districts risk areas:

Shirley WIJESINGHE

[Warning]

* Warning to residents in sloped areas

* Colombo Kandy railway line at risk

* Intermittent showers to continue

People in the Kandy, Matale Nuwara Eliya and Badulla Districts should be alerted on a possible landslide due to the present inter-monsoon rains and the North East monsoon rains expected in late December, Senior Geologist Dr.Wilbert Kehelpannala said.

He warned the residents living in the sloped areas of the said districts to be alert and avoid dangers from possible landslides and slips due to heavy rain.

Dr. Kehelpannala said certain areas along the roads in the Kandy and Nuwara Eliya Districts are in danger.

According to him the Kandy-Nuwara Eliya road through Gampola, Kandy- Colombo road, Pinga-Oya area on the Kandy-Katugastota road, Kandy-Badulla road(Mahaweli Raja Mawatha), Katugastota area along the Kandy-Colombo and the Kandy -Nuwara Eliya road through Rikillagaskada have been identified as landslide prone areas.

If local authorities take required measures to make the public aware of the risk of natural disasters, damages and personal accidents could be minimized,he commented.

He also said Colombo Kandy railway line is at similar risk too and the Railway Department should conduct necessary surveys to identify the highly risk areas soon.

Meanwhile, a senior official of the Meteorology Department said that the prevalent intermittent showers will continue as usual in the evenings throughout the country and it will intensify when the North East monsoon is activated after the second inter-monsoon.

Jaffna reported 50 mm rainfall, he said.