Over 100,000 affected by floods

by P.Krishnaswamy

Over 100,000 people from 90 Grama Niladhari divisions were affected in the recent floods experienced in the Puttalam district, Deputy Minister of External Affairs and Parliamentarian for the district, Neomal Perera told the Sunday Observer. People on either side of the Deduru Oya were badly affected with their houses inundated, valuables washed away and rendered homeless, he said.

In other areas, houses were partly inundated, drinking water wells were polluted and a good percentage of farm animals, cattle, poultry, piggery and other belongings were washed away.

Their source of income has been affected. A report on the losses and economic loss caused will be submitted next week, he said.

Government authorities are now in the process of transporting drinking water, chlorinating wells, providing cooked meals and dry rations, distributing books to children and also providing transport services, Neomal Perera said.

Clogged sewage and drainage systems also have to be cleared, he said. He had appealed to the business community, NGOs, government institutions and international charitable organisations to join short-term and long-term relief to the affected families.

Meanwhile, the Disaster Management Centre has reported that as of yesterday (Saturday) morning, 82,821 families comprising 329,401 members were affected in floods, flashfloods, landslides and other mishaps in the Southern, Central, North Central, Uva, Eastern, North Western and Sabaragamuwa provinces.

The largest number of 54,685 families comprising 211,775 persons of 28 DS divisions were affected in the Eastern Province while over 15,000 families of 31 DS Divisions in the Kurunegala and Puttalam districts were badly affected in the North Western Province.

The province-district-DS division-wise break up of the affected families in the other provinces is : 6,935 families comprising 37,749 persons of 09 DS divisions of the Galle and Hambantota districts in the Southern Province, 2,220 families comprising 7,793 persons of 29 DS divisions of the Matale, Kandy and Nuwara Eliya districts in the Central province, 3,066 families comprising 10,607 persons of 12 DS divisions of the Polonnaruwa and Anuradhapura districts in the North Central Province, 22 families comprising 86 persons of 07 DS divisions of the Badulla and Monaragala districts in the Uva province and 199 families comprising 968 persons of 02 DS divisions of the Kegalle and Ratnapura districts in the Sabaragamuwa Province.

27 persons were reported dead, 36 injured and 14 missing. 15,552 families comprising 56,543 persons are housed in 171 evacuation camps in the provinces.