Adverse weather will last for a few more days: Met Department

Colombo, May 14 (Daily Mirror) - The current adverse weather conditions which has already claimed one life is expected to prevail for a few more days with an improvement expected around the weekend, an official from the Department of Meteorology said yesterday.

“We expected an improvement of the weather in a day or two but as per the current conditions wet weather would prevail until the weekend,” Climatologist from the Department of Meteorology Malith Fernando told Daily Mirror.

Asked whether the current low pressure situation would have any effect on the Southwest Monsoon, he said it would not. The current adverse weather conditions are solely due to a low pressure area which is in the vicinity of Sri Lanka” Fernando said.

One death has been reported from Batticaloa due to the prevailing adverse weather conditions affecting several parts of the country, according to the latest situation report issued by the Disaster Management Centre (DMC).

The DMC said that a total of 203 persons belonging to 62 families in the districts of Ratnapura, Galle, Monaragala and Batticaloa have been severely affected by the inclement weather. Meanwhile, 17 individuals from seven families in the Ratnapura District have been relocated to a temporary safety shelter. It was further reported that 39 houses sustained partial damage, while one small or medium-scale enterprise was also damaged due to the prevailing weather conditions.

The Department of Irrigation said some 18 major reservoirs Rajangana, Nachchaduwa in Anuradhapura District, Ambewela River in Badulla , Tissa Wewa,Weerawila, Yoda Wewa, Weheragala in Tissamaharama, Ambakola Wewa, Usgala Siyambalanduwa, Magalla, Deduru Oya in Kurunegala, Nalanda , Welmedilla in Dambulla, Tabbowa in Puttalam and Giants Tank in Mannar were overflowing as of yesterday. Some 18 smaller reservoirs had also reached spill level.

Landslide warnings were issued in the Badulla, Kalutara, Kandy, Kegalle, Kurunegala, Matale, Moneragala, and Ratnapura Districts

A rainfall of 200mm were recorded from Piliyandala, 147mm from Ratnapura, 90mm from Moneragala, 85mm rainfall was recorded from Badulla and Galle. Colombo recorded a rainfall of 82mm.

Additional reports from Ajithlal Shantha Udaya, Shantha Chandrasiri,Gamini Bandara and Mohamed Asik