Deduru Oya, Upper Kotmale sluice gates opened

Four sluice gates each of the Deduru Oya and Upper Kotmale reservoirs have been opened due to torrential rainfall in the catchment areas, the Disaster Management Centre said.

They said the sudden increase in the water levels in the reservoir prompted to open the sluice gates.

It was reported that through the four sluice gates opened (two feet) release 5,800 cubic feet of water per second.

Meanwhile, two sluice gates of the Upper Kotmale reservoir were opened yesterday due to heavy rains last evening. The engineer of the reservoir said that if the deluge continues, there is a possibility of opening the remaining sluice gates too which operate automatically.

Therefore, the DMC warns the people who are living in the downstream areas to be vigilant about sudden flooding. (Chaturanga Samarawickrama)