Rs 138 m set aside for flood relief
Sandasen MARASINGHE
Disaster Management Minister Mahinda Amaraweera said yesterday that
the government has taken measures to provide relief to flood victims
without delay.
The Minister refuting opposition allegations said that the government
has disbursed Rs 138 million during the past 13 days to provide relief
to the flood affected people. Another Rs 75 million will be disbursed
among district secretaries today to provide relief for the flood-hit.
Minister Amaraweera made this observation at a press conference at
the Disaster Management Ministry auditorium yesterday.
He said that the ministry had spent only Rs 294 million last year to
provide relief to the people, affected by disaster.
Minister Amaraweera said that the flood havoc the country is
experiencing currently is second only to the Tsunami in 2004 as a
natural disaster. The rain fall Batticaloa district experienced last
year was 1650.9 mm and Batticaloa recorded a rainfall of 1,859 mm during
the last 40 days. Similarly Trincomalee, Nuwara Eliya, Polonnaruwa and
Anuradhapura also experienced the same situation.
The Minister said that 1,081,819 people belonging to 287,871 families
in 14 districts have been affected by the rain.
More than 2,680 houses have been completely destroyed while 15,274
partially damaged. He feared that these numbers could be more as
officers are unable to reach the affected areas to collect the
statistics and the unfavorable weather condition still remains.
The damage to cultivation is incalculable for the moment since more
than 200,000 acres of cultivation have gone under water, he said.
[Help flood victims, says Defence Ministry]
The Defence Ministry has appealed to the people and civil
organizations to contribute funds for flood and landslide victims.
Funds can be handed over to Army, Naval, Air Force or police centres.
These foods will be handed over to the Government Agents.
Defence Ministry Additional Secretary S Hettiarachchi made this
appeal on behalf of Defence Secretary Gotabhaya Rajapaksa.
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