Sri Lanka closes schools as floods hammer the capital

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By Editor_1
A man reaches for a safe place as it rains in a flooded street in Colombo, Sri Lanka, on Sunday (Oct. 13, 2024) - Eranga Jayawardena/AP

COLOMBO — Sri Lanka closed schools in the capital Colombo and suburbs on Monday (14) as heavy rains triggered floods in many parts of the island nation.

Heavy downpours over the weekend have wreaked havoc in many parts of the country, flooding homes, fields and roads. Three people drowned, while some 134,000 people have been affected by flooding, according to the country’s Disaster Management Centre (DMC).

The Director of Education, Western Province announced on Monday that all schools in the Colombo Education Zone will also remain closed on Tuesday (15) because of prevailing adverse weather conditions. All government schools in the Gampaha, Kelaniya, Kolonnawa and Kaduwela educational zones will also remain closed on Tuesday as decided by the Provincial Education authorities on Sunday (13).

The DMC, identifying the Western Province as one of the worst-affected areas in the country, said 82,839 people in the Gampaha District 40,231 in the Colombo District and 3,623 in the Kalutara District had been affected. It said rains and floods have damaged over 240 houses and nearly 7,000 people have been evacuated.

Authorities have cut electricity in some areas as a precaution.

Navy and army troops have been deployed to rescue victims and provide food and other essentials.

Local television channels showed flooded towns in the suburbs of Colombo. In some areas, waters reached the roofs of houses and shops.

Sri Lanka has been grappling with severe weather conditions since May, mostly caused by heavy monsoon rains. In June, 16 people died due to floods and mudslides.

Meanwhile, the Department of Meteorology in its weather advisory on Monday, forecast heavy rain, strong winds and rough seas effective until 01.00 p.m. Tuesday (15), attributing the low-pressure area formed over the southeast Bay of Bengal for the torrential downpour.

Noting that the low-pressure area was likely to become a well-marked low-pressure area moving west north-westwards towards north Tamil Nadu, Puducherry and adjoining south Andhra Pradesh coasts during the next two days, the Met Department said very strong winds of about 60-70 kilometres per hour, accompanied by heavy rainfalls and very rough seas were likely over the sea areas bounded by (06N – 12N) and (81E – 93E).

Naval and fishing communities have been advised not to venture into the northeastern sea areas until further notice.

In related news, President Anura Kumara Dissanayake, during a meeting with officials from the Ministries of Disaster Management and Finance at the Presidential Secretariat, on Monday, directed officials to prioritize immediate relief for those affected by the inclement weather in Colombo, Gampaha, Puttalam, and Kalutara.

He instructed the Secretary, Ministry of Finance, to allocate additional funds if necessary for flood relief measures. Already, 50 million rupees had been added to the flood relief budget to support relief efforts for those impacted by the disaster

He also instructed attention be paid to repairing damaged properties and emphasized the need for a specific and sustainable program to address the recurring flood situation in the country.

-ENCL/AP

 

 

 

Editor_1
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