26 November 2021 12:00 am
By Chaturanga Samarawickrama
Due to significant rainfall received across 19 districts, fourteen people have died and over 100,000 families have been affected in the nine districts due to adverse weather conditions experienced in the country so far, the Disaster Management Centre (DMC) said.
The DMC said people in Nuwara Eliya, Ratnapura, Kegalle, Puttalam, Hambantota, Trincomalee, Batticaloa, Mullaitivu, and Jaffna Districts have been affected.
Accordingly, 22 people were injured and one person was missing, the DMC said.
452 houses are partially damaged and 56 houses are fully damaged. 114 individuals who belong to 30 families have been directed to six safe locations, the DMC said.
The deaths have been reported from Puttalam (7), Hambantota (1), and Trincomalee (6), DMC added.
Meanwhile, several sluice gates at Deduru Oya, Bowatenna, and Polgolla Reservoirs have been opened, the Disaster Management Centre (DMC) said.
Due to the prevailing low-level atmospheric disturbance over the southeast of Sri Lanka and the adjoining south-west Bay of Bengal, which has developed into a low-pressure disturbance and is currently located in the east of the island, heavy rains were received in the catchment areas.
Therefore, eight spill gates of the Deduru Oya, three spill gates of the Bowatenna Reservoir, and two sluice gates of the Polgolla reservoir were opened.
The residents have been asked to be vigilant about this, as well as motorists who drive through those areas, the Disaster Management Authorities warned.
The traffic on the Kurunegala-Anuradhapura road was disrupted due to flooding in the Ebawalapitiya area due to the opening of the sluice gates of the Deduru Oya reservoir. Due to this, the police are requesting drivers to use alternative routes.
Meanwhile, the Meteorology Department yesterday issued a red alert for 19 districts as heavy showers of over 100 mm are expected in some places in Eastern, Uva, Sabaragamuwa, Central, Northwestern, Western, and Southern provinces and in the Polonnaruwa District.
Accordingly, Trincomalee, Puttalam, Polonnaruwa, Kurunegala, Matale, Batticaloa, Gampaha, Kegalle, Kandy, Colombo, Nuwara Eliya, Badulla, Ampara, Kalutara, Ratnapura, Moneragala, Galle, Matara, and Hambantota, have been alerted over fairly extreme weather conditions.
Moreover, the National Building Research Organisation (NBRO) had issued landslide early warnings to seven districts including Colombo, Kalutara, Kandy, Kurunegala, Matale, Nuwara Eliya and Ratnapura.