Heavy rain and floods displace 2000

1 February 2011 02:30 pm

By Gandhya Senanayake and Yohan Perera

A child died of drowning in Vavuniya while Trincomalee and Vavuniya Districts were hit hard by heavy rain and floods displacing close to 2050 persons, the Disaster Management Center reported.

Some low-lying areas and roads were reportedly inundated due to over flowing irrigation tanks in Trincomalee. Further 15 families were evacuated to safer areas in Badulusirigam, Badula Districts due to the risk of landslides.

Kantale Tank reached spill level forcing the Department of Irrigation to open all ten spill gates.

The water level of the tank had risen to 118,000 acre feet which is more than the usual capacity of 1.14,000 acre feet.
There were two camps in Vavuniya.

In another development relief was sent to historical Somawathi Chaithya which was inundated on Monday.. Drinking water and dry rations were sent accordingly. These were transported from Navy Boats.

Occasional showers will continue with fairly heavy rain falls at some places in the Northern, Eastern, Central, Uva, and North-Central provinces and in the Hambantota district today, the Meteorological Department reported. (Daily Mirror online)