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| Sunday, 9 May 2004 |
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All systems geared for floods management in Ratnapura by ANTON NONIS The Sri Lanka Navy has geared up activities in Ratnapura in readiness to grapple with any flood situation once the South-West monsoon sets in towards the end of the month. Instructions by the Ratnapura District Secretariat to all State departments and the NGOs will be in force until the bad time has elapsed. Though there had been heavy rain in the area over the past few days of this inter-monsoonal period, the rains receded substantially last week. But that was no indication that the wet period had stopped and that things are normal once again. Meteorology Acting Dir. General, G. H. P. Dharmaratne said the depression which was formed in the Bay of Bengal a few days ago that caused heavy rains in many parts of the country including Ratnapura, had started to fade off. There are also other formations in the atmosphere that tends to give rise to rain. Dharmaratne said their satellite pictures had shown the formation of another depression in the Bay of Bengal. It also might bring showers again and may take one or two days for the effects of the depression to be felt. The formation of depressions in the bay, activation of air columns at different altitudes or any other changes in the upper atmosphere are fairly common during the monsoonal times and may give rise to spells of rain. According to meteorologists, the Intertropical Convergence Zone (ITCZ) which is a form of a convergence belt is said to be above the Sri Lanka landmass these days. The Southern hemispheric winds meeting the Northern hemispheric winds in the ITCZ is said to result in the rains. The water level in Kalu ganga which has spill level at 15 feet, rose to 12 feet when there was heavy rain in the past few days. Last Friday's measurements revealed that the level was only four feet at the Demuwawath monitoring centre indicating that it was 11 feet below the danger level. Weathermen analyse that the level may rise if heavy showers begin to last in the area again. A substantial filling in the river said to occur by the waters from the tributaries found along its course. According to UNDP Volunteer Officer, Purna Yahampath, the Navy had responded to the requests made by them and the Ratnapura District Secretariat to carry out a comprehensive program spotting out the vulnerable areas that may go under water in the case of a flood. They go by the land to detect such places. Already, places like Elapatha, Kalawana, Kiriella and Kahawatte have been noted. The UNDP had taken count of 18 houses in areas of Kalawana and Kahawatte which got their roofs blown off last Wednesday due to strong winds. Measures are already taken to compensate the losses. According to the UNDP, the Navy has started to take stock of people living along the banks of Kalu ganga who do not possess canoes with them. The canoes were of the bigger kind and had a roof built on it. In the past many of those who lived by the banks possessed canoes. They had been very useful in the event of a flood. Sources said that the marooned, utilised these canoes as a temporary lodge house until the flood waters dropped and things returned to normal. But at present, many of the canoes had perished due to disuse. According to Commodore Jayantha Perera, the Navy had held extensive discussions with the Social Services Ministry and the District Secretaries of Ratnapura and Kalutara based on disaster plan for Ratnapura. He said that the Navy has already arranged for more than 10 boats fitted with outboard engines to be delivered to Ratnapura well in advance. The boats will be in addition to the divers to be deployed. Unlike what it had been in the last year flooding where Navy divers had much difficulty in performing their tasks effectively due to lack of knowledge of the topography of the area, they will dive along with divers selected from the local population. Transportation of the marooned from the submerged localities to safer places like schools, temples or other vacant establishments situated on elevated ground, distribution of dry rations and other such provisions too have been undertaken by the Navy. |
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