Over 119,000 affected by floods and landslides:

Govt disburses Rs 100 m in flood relief

by Uditha Kumarasinghe

Disaster Management Minister Mahinda Amaraweera said that the Government has already disbursed Rs.100 million among 25 District Secretariat offices to provide immediate relief for the people affected by the adverse weather.

Over 119,000 people were affected by floods and landslides after five days of torrential rains.

At least 23 people died and one went missing due to floods and landslides in the Western and Southern Provinces. At present, the number of people affected is dwindling as those who had been temporarily sheltered in schools and temples are returning to their homes, the Minister told the Sunday Observer yesterday.

He said his Ministry has released adequate funds to assist in the early recovery needs of flood-affected people in several districts. Money has been disbursed to clear roads and mounds of earth, clean wells and other public places. Steps have been taken to provide dry rations to flood victims.

The Ministry has made every effort to restore normalcy as early as possible. The Ministry has also released Rs.17 million to buy water tanks to provide drinking water to those affected. The Ministry is in a position to disburse another Rs.60 million at any time, the Minister said.

Meanwhile, President Mahinda Rajapaksa has directed the authorities to provide relief assistance to the victims under a systematic program. The President had told the Ministerial Subcommittee on Food Protection and Cost of Living Control at Temple Trees on Thursday that it was the responsibility of all officials to provide relief to these affected and instructed officials to continue providing relief to flood and landslide victims.

On the President’s direction, the Government has taken steps to make an immediate payment of Rs 15,000 to each affected family.