Govt helps flood- hit

Rasika Somarathna

Assistance

* Rs 900 m to build damaged reservoirs

* Rs 50,000 for severely damaged houses

* Rs 25,000 for partially damaged houses

* Compensation for damaged crops

* Disaster loan for Govt servants

* Alternative lands to build houses

The Government has launched a number of initiatives to help flood victims including assistance to build damaged houses and compensation for destroyed crops.

Authorities are set to provide Rs 50,000 each to reconstruct 5,600 houses which were severely damaged and Rs 25,000 each for another 22,000 houses which were partially damaged. Numerous other assistance programs are in the offing to these house owners to restore their damaged property.

The Government has also decided to provide a maximum of Rs 20,000 per acre as compensation for damaged crops.

State sector employees affected due to the floods are to be provided with a disaster loan equal to three months salary.

The authorities are discussing the possibility of providing permanent houses on alternative lands for those residing in places identified as disaster prone. The Government is also set to allocate Rs 900 million to rebuild water reservoirs in the North, North Central and Eastern Provinces damaged due to the heavy rains and floods.

It is estimated that nearly one million people were affected due to recent floods mainly in the North, East and North Central Provinces.

During that period too the Government had put in place a comprehensive mechanism to help the flood victims.