Floods hit 37,444 in H'tota

Raja Waidyasekera - Tissamaharama special corr

About 37,444 people of the Hambantota district have been displaced as a result of floods, said District Secretary R.C.de Soysa at a press conference at the District Secretariat.

He said the water capacity of the Lunugamwewhera reservoir arose to 183,000 acre feet. Six sluice gates of the reservoir were opened. Irrigation Engineer Amarajith Liyanage said nine reservoirs out of 11 are overflowing.

According to the district Disaster Management Centre, about 4500 acres of paddy in Tissamaharama has been inundated. Three hundred acres of paddy has been destroyed at Pannegamuwa, Polgahawelena. Several circuit bungalows of the Yala National Park were damaged as aresult of the overflowing of Menik Ganga.

Hambantota Mayor Eraj Fernando said certain bankrupt politicians in the district mislead the people by saying that nothing was done to provide relief for the flood affected.

They are trying to gain political mileage out of the flood situation instead of coming down to Hambantota and help the affected. He said officials of the district secretariat, the Army, Police, Civil Security Service and the Disaster Management Unit do everything possible to provide relief for flood victims.