Flood havoc around the country

Four die in landslide

Asela Kuruluwansa

Four people have died and six severely injured due to a landslide in deveni Rajasinghe Mawatha, Kandy yesterday evening.

Several boulders have fallen on five houses following the landslide injuring 12 people. A special operation had been conducted by the Police, army and fire brigade to save an eight year old child who was injured in the incident.

Action was taken to supply oxygen through a pipe to those who have been crushed under piles of rocks and soil by a Kandy hospital team that arrived at the scene after it was affirmed that several people are alive.

Some had heard the cries of these people asking for help. Removal of soil and rocks have become difficult due to the people crushed under the soil.

Heavy rains make A’pura tanks spill

Nimal Wijesinghe Anuradhapura Additional District Group Correspondent

Torrential rains have stated after a few days pause.

According to Anuradhapura Zonal Irrigation Director Wasantha Bandara Palugaswewa two spill gates of Padaviya, two gates of Nuwarawewa, four gates of Rajangane and six gates of Nachchaduwa reservoirs are now opened to dispose excess rain water to the downstream areas. He said that Mahawilachchiya, Mahakanadarawa, Tisawewa, Nuwarawewa and Abhayawewa have been spilling.

“Out of 2,000 small scale rural tanks, 80 percent of them have started overflowing. The heavy volume of rain water accumulated in these tanks may result in causing damages to the tank, bunds and irrigational canals. As a protective measure, several small tanks in Kahatagasdigiliya area are strengthened with sand bags. Out of 83 medium scale tanks nearly 50 are spilling,” Palugaswewa said further.

Rains lash hill capital

S M Jiffry Abdeen Kandy south group corr

Heavy and continuous rains lashed the hill capital over the weekend disrupting normal life.

Though Kandy has been experiencing a lot of rain for the past ten days, but the showers which started Saturday was worst.

Rain which started Saturday morning fell continuously throughout the day and also in the night. It continued without any break.

The hill capital has hardly received any bright sunshine from the beginning of this year. Vegetable growers in the Talatuoya, Marassana and Ududeniya areas fear that if this continues it could do a lot of destruction to their crops especially tomatoes, beans and cabbages. Coconut plucking in the Gurudeniya and Haragama areas too has been affected. Kitul tapping too is badly affected as the tappers are unable to climb trees as the trunks are wet and slippery.

This wet weather conditions has spiralled the price of jaggery. Tea plucking too is affected in estates and smallholdings and the output much lower than on normal days. In some areas there is no plucking at all. Hatton and Dickoya areas experience thick mist even during daytime. This has made driving very difficult.

Horowpothana inundated

Nimal Wijasinghe Anuradhapura additional district group corr.

Horowpothana towns and a number of villages in the proximity have been inundated resulting from the breaching of several tank bunds owing to heavy rains.

Minister of Agrarian Services and Wildlife SM Chandrasena has ordered relief arrangements for those who have been affected.

A number of tanks such as Gomarankadawala, Elapattewa Koonwewa etc are in spate releasing its water downstream thus causing inundation in the area. Navy was summoned to rescue nearly 100 families caught in the floods in the Dematawewa village off Koonwewa.

Flood threat in Ampara

MA Phakurdeen Addalaichenai Group Correspondent

Ampara District is facing a major flood threat once again as the rains continue with lightning and thunder. The people were panicky and excited as the rains came with strong winds as well.

Many people took refuge in the safe places Saturday night owing to strong winds.

The entire coastal area of the District is flooded and the major towns from Kalmunai to Pottuvil are now underwater.

The Government Agent Ampara District Sunil Kannangara said approximately more than 100,000 people have been affected by the floods in the District and the coastal areas of the District are worst affected. This number may increase as the rains continue. The affected people are staying in schools while many are with their relatives houses which are situated in higher elevation.

Saturday night’s heavy shower with thunder and lightning with strong winds have uprooted many century old treas in the coastal areas. The two large trees in front of the Akkariapattu town Jummah Mosque were uprooted by the strong winds damaging the parapet wall of the front portion of the Mosque Saturday.

Almost all the roads in the major towns too are flooded causing untold hardships and even public transport too were affected for some times.

Paddy crops in the District too are submerged by the flooded waters however only 10,000 acres are said to be on the verge of damages.

If the rain continues this situation may aggravate according to Agricultural Officials.

The GA said almost all the tanks in District are full however, the Senanayake Samudra is not at all come to its full capacity by this incessant rain.

Floods damage houses, paddy fields

Sarath Welagedara Elahera group corr

With the heavy showers Mahaveli river, Amban Ganga and related tanks and waterways are overflowing causing damage to houses are inundated in Medirigiriya, Dimbulagala, Kalagala, Lankapura, Hingurakgoda, Elahera, Kahatagahapitiya and Jayasiripura areas.

All spill gates of tanks in the Polonnaruwa District are opened by Regional Irrigation Engineers. The Polonnaruwa Government Agent said even though the number of houses damaged was not officially declared, about 1,000 houses are damaged in the area.

Polonnaruwa District Secretary Nimal Abeysiri and Polonnaruwa Divisional Secretary said a special team has been dispatched to flooded areas to evacuate people and supply cooked food. Gullella-Manampitiya main road has gone five feet under water and the road was impassable for the last two days. Even though the Somavathi temple premises has inundated, the Stupa is not affected.