Wet weather to continue till Monday

By Ifham Nizam

The prevailing inclement weather pattern will continue, countrywide,till Monday (June 6), according to the Met Department forecast.

Prime Minister Ranil Wickremesinghe yesterday instructed the Disaster Management Centre (DMC) to take steps to provide relief to those people affected by floods and landslides.

In this regard, preliminary discussions were held between the Prime Minister’s Secretary Saman Ekanayake and the District Secretaries of Kalutara, Gampaha and Galle.

During the discussions with the Ratnapura District Secretary, the Prime Minister has stated that the Treasury Operations Department has allocated funds to provide relief to the people, affected by floods.

Wickremesinghe has also instructed the Treasury to take steps to provide relief funds through District Secretaries.

Despite light showers experienced yesterday, water levels are rising in Kelani, Kalu, Gin and Nilwala rivers. Residents, in vulnerable areas, had been warned in this regard, the Disaster Management Centre said.

Some 10 houses were partially damaged due to heavy rains in Kalutara, Jaffna, Ratnapura and Puttalam.

“We have issued a minor flood warning to people living in low-lying areas, adjoining the Attanagalu Oya, Kelani River, Kalu River, Gin River and Nilwala River,” a senior official added.

Director of Irrigation (Hydrology) Eng. S.P.C. Sugeeshwara said the water levels of those rivers had gone up considerably, after the recent downpours in the Sabaragamuwa and Western provinces,and in the Galle and Matara districts.

According to Sugeeshwara, some areas have received heavy rains, above 150mm, on Monday.

“If these rainy conditions prevail in the coming days, several low-lying areas, of the aforementioned rivers, are at risk of minor floods,” he warned.

He urged the residents of low-lying areas of these rivers, and motorists driving through those areas,to be vigilant of the adverse weather conditions.

The low-lying areas at risk of minor floods are:

Attanagalu Oya – Divulapitiya, Mirigama, Attanagalla, Gampaha, Ja-Ela, Mahara, Katana, Minuwangoda and Wattala divisional secretariat divisions

Kelani River – Ruwanwella, Dehiowita, Seethawaka, Dompe, Kaduwela, Biyagama, Homagama, Kolonnawa, and Colombo divisional secretariat divisions

Kalu River – Pelmadulla, Nivithigala, Ratnapura, Kuruwita, Elapatha, Kiriella, Ayagama, Eheliyagoda, Ingiriya, Horana, Kalawana, Palindanuwara, Bulathsinhala, Dodangoda, Millaniya, Kalutara, and Madurawela divisional secretariat divisions

Gin River – Neluwa, Thawalama, Nagoda, Elpitiya, Niyagama, Baddegama, Welipitiya, Divithura, Bope, Poddala and Galle Four Gravets divisional secretariat divisions

Nilawala River – Kotapola, Pitabeddara, Akuressa, Athuraliya, Malimbada, Kamburupitiya, Thihagoda and Matara divisional secretariat divisions.