26 dead; 119,000 affected

Man-made errors cause pre-monsoon Disaster - Environmentalists

By Kurulu Kariyakarawana

A tropical country having four climatic seasons, Sri Lanka is blessed with abundant rainfall that prevails throughout the year. In fact the South West and North East monsoons and the two inter -monsoonal seasons sometimes renders excessive rain that could lead to unfavourable situations like hurricanes, landslides and floods claiming lives and affecting many others.

Moderate floods are not something new to the country. Throughout history during these monsoonal seasons,people are affected depending on the geographical locations they live. Landslides following unprecedented rain in the hilly areas with unprotected slopes are also not uncommon. A random death of a civilian caused by strong currents in a flood situation and displacement of families living in the low wetlands are also not unusual during a monsoonal season. But what happened within a short period of four days in the last week is something that was not anticipated either by the authorities or by civilians and turned out to be a grave disaster.

A heavy downpour that commenced last Saturday continued for two days making the first impact of the pre monsoonal period of the South West monsoon. Unceasing rainfall rendered immediate floods in Kalutara, Ratnapura and the Galle districts where several thousands were displaced within 48 hours. Shortly after the dangerous aftermath of the rain, landslides were being reported from the Kegalle, Badulla and Nuwara Eliya districts bringing mobility and movement of traffic on certain main roads and numerous byroads to a grinding halt.

Roofs of small houses were ripped apart by strong winds with many houses being flooded with a water level of four to five feet, the irony is how some solidly built houses were also crushed with large mounds of soil collapsing on them as a result of earth slips. The first day of the rain only claimed five lives in two neighbouring houses in Agalawatte district on Saturday night. A large bank of earth fell on a housewife and her two daughters killing them on the spot and burying an eight- year- old girl and four- year-old boy , a brother and a sister alive in another house in close proximity.

The husband and a son of the former family and parents of the latter family miraculously escaped but only to grieve for the rest of their lives for family members lost in the disaster.

While the Meteorological Department continuously forecast the prevailing pre monsoonal situation and that rainfall will continue in many parts of the country, the Disaster Management Centre began operating in affected areas making necessary arrangements to save the displaced. Law enforcement authorities like the Police, Army as well as the Navy were summoned to rescue large groups of people trapped in flooded areas and to transfer them to safe locations set up in schools and religious places.

Killed

According to the latest situation report of the Disaster Management Centre 26 persons have been killed in floods and landslides in Kalutara, Ratnapura, Colombo, Matara and Kurunegala districts. In the Kalutara District only 14 persons have been killed due to floods and five killed due to landslides in the Ratnapura District. Since last Sunday 119, 546 persons of 29, 209 families in the Western, Sabaragamuwa, Central, Southern and North Western provinces have been affected by floods and landslides. Out of this 25, 809 persons of 5, 673 families who were displaced due to floods were transferred to 128 safe locations or temporary camps set up by the DMC. Over hundred schools in the respective districts have been shut for a week to accommodate these victims of the disaster which are expected to be opened by tomorrow. In these areas 235 houses have been completely destroyed whilst 1, 566 houses were partly damaged. The previous figure had however reduced to 6, 811 persons from 1, 829 families living in 60 safe locations at the time this edition went to press.

A constant supply of dry rations, drinking water, clothing as well as sanitary effects were distributed among the displaced victims while hospitals stood on alert for any unexpected accidents. Ten persons sustained injuries during this period while one person is still missing in Ratnapura. When some deaths were reported due to soil mounds falling on houses, some other deaths were reported where people were dragged away by the strong currents of the flood. In Anguruwathota a youth herding his cows to a neighbouring land is suspected to have been dragged away by a strong current and drowned on Thursday. In Bulathsinhala another youth who was rowing with friends on a make-shift raft made out of banana trunks drowned on Friday morning.

A number of main roads and byroads was badly damaged where some routes were temporarily abandoned due to the scale of damage on the surface. Not only roads but also small bridges and culverts were also badly damaged including newly laid tarmac roads creating potholes and virtually impractical to use. In some instances pavements were washed away rendering them dangerous. Minister of Highways, Ports and Shipping Nirmala Kotalawala told the media that the Government will take necessary action to repair affected roads as soon as the adverse weather turns normal.

However, after six days the flood situation was reportedly receding by yesterday especially in the Kalutara District. The water levels of the areas of the Kalutara District including Agalawatta, Baduraliya, Athwelthota, Kukuleganga, Kudaligama and Bulathsinhala were reducing and were returning to their homes. People were busy cleaning their houses and surroundings which had been badly affected by the floods. The DMC as well as District Health officials assisted the victims to clean drinking water wells.

Deputy Director Disaster Management Centre Sarath Lal Kumara told the Sunday Observer that Rs.76 million had been granted to District Secretariats of the affected provinces to uplift livelihoods and restore them to normalcy. Cooked meals as well as dry rations and medicine will be supplied to those who affected until they settle in their homes.

As soon as the disaster was reported last Sunday, instructions were given to District Secretariats on how to act in accordance to the developing situation. A special meeting was held at the Kalutara District Secretariat headed by the Secretary, Director General of DMC Retd. Major General L B R Mark, senior police, health and administrative officials to discuss the situation.

Responding to the landslides situation, the National Building Research Organisation on Friday announced a list of areas that had been identified as prone to landslides and earth slips as well as falling rock. The main districts that have been identified as Kalutara, Ratnapura, Galle, Kegalle and Nuwara Eliya. In Kalutara District Agalawatta, Palindanuwara, Matugama, Bulathsinhala, Walallawita, Horana and Ingirya are prone to landslides. In Ratnapura District Kalawana, Elapatha, Ratnapura, Balangoda, Eheliyagoda, Niwithigala and Imbulpe and in the Galle District Neluwa and Thawalama areas. In Kegalle District Yatiyanthota, Deraniyagala, Bulathkohupitiya, Dehiowita, Aranayake, Mawanella and in Nuwara Eliya District Ambagamuwa and Nuwara Eliya have been identified as landslides prone areas.

Landslides

Deputy Director Landslides Research and Risk Management K M Bandara said that most of these landslides were due to man- made mistakes such as cut failures. Cut failure is caused when a large amount of soil is cut and removed to level a land in a hilly area. The unsupported vertical wall of soil is prone to collapse at any moment if it is infiltrated by the rainwater. The people who usually build houses right next to these vertical soil walls will experience dangerous consequences when they collapse on to their houses virtually crushing everybody inside.

Even some newly constructed main roads had been identified with the risk of sudden slope failure. The new Kegalle Bypass Road is one that has unsupported tall vertical soil walls which is risky during this season. The officials in the area had warned people and discouraged them from using that route within this period.

Meanwhile, the Meteorological Department issued a warning that heavy rains could be expected from June 06 to 09 (until tomorrow) due to the commencement of the South West Monsoon. Deputy Director Forecasting and Decision Supporting Anusha Warnasuriya told the Sunday Observer that the South West Monsoon had a delayed start this year which was supposed to commence by May 25 and the pre monsoonal season had a harsh effect on the country. The adverse weather is expected to continue for another couple of days as normally the first two weeks of a monsoon is harsh. Relevant authorities including the Fisheries Department had been alarmed of the rough sea condition.

However, environmentalists paint a rather bleak picture that such severe flooding was due to many man- made mistakes. Certain mega development projects like the construction of the Katunayake - Colombo Highway had significantly blocked low wetlands in Muthurajawela leaving less space for flood water to drain. Also the vast removal of granite from rural areas of the Kalutara District to build the Colombo south harbour had also created instability in nature causing landslides.