Earthslip buries girl,16, and mother

Over 170 families affected by rains:

Ridma Dissanayake and Dewahuwa Group Corr

The Disaster Management Centre (DMC) yesterday announced that around 485 persons belonging to 171 families in Southern and Central provinces have been affected due to floods and landslides caused by heavy rains that lashed several parts of the country yesterday.

Reports said one house in Thavalama, Galle had been completely damaged and three houses in the Matale district have been partially damaged. Galle, Matale, Kandy and Nuwara-Eliya districts are the worst affected.

“Around 400 persons belonging to 150 families in Weligamuwa, Matale have been affected by floods and rains while another 68 persons of 17 families in the Oyapahala area had to be evacuated due to the threat of landslides.Several families in Rattota, Kalubewala and Abangngakoralaya have also been affected due to floods and landslides,” they added.

The DMC stated that a 16-year-old girl was killed and her mother injured in the Matale area due to the earth caving in.

Meanwhile, an officer attached to the District Irrigation Office, Matale said all main irrigation tanks in the district are near spill level while some are already spilling due to the heavy rains received during the last four days.

He said as they could open the spill gates of the Bowatenna reservoir due to a power failure but used a manually operated method to open the gates.

“Nalanda and Kandala tanks are also spilling while Dewahuwa and Wewamadilla are reaching spill level, “he added.

“In addition two sluice gates of the Weheragala tank in Monaragala and Upper Kotmale reservoir are also about to spill, “the DMC announced. Meanwhile, the Meteorology Department yesterday announced that occasional showers or thundershowers will occur particularly over the North–central, Uva, Eastern, Central and Southern Provinces.

“Heavy rain fall can be expected at some places. Showers or thunder showers will develop at several places elsewhere.

There will be fairly strong North-easterly winds at times over the island,” they further added.

Meteorology Department Duty Meteorologist Jeewan Karunaratne said that these rains will prevail during the whole of this week.

“An atmospheric disturbance in the South has contributed towards the current heavy rains experienced in most parts of the country,” he further explained.

The National Building Research Organization (NBRO) said Kandy, Nuwara Eliya, Badulla and Matale districts will be at risk of disaster situations such as landslides and rock falls, if prevailing showers continue for the next 24 hours.

Meanwhile, the Kandy-Mahiyangana road has been blocked due to an earth slip near Hunnasgiriya Town and the motorists have been advised to use alternative routes.