The government is to commence rehabilitation activities in the flood hit areas in the North, North Central, and Eastern provinces soon.
President Mahinda Rajapaksa at a meeting with the Presidential Task Force (PTF) on flood relief held yesterday has instructed the PTF to commence the rehabilitation work immediately following a full assessment of the damage.
There was agreement to expedite infrastructure restoration, rebuilding of roads, rebuilding of tanks, tank bunds and canals, and other irrigation schemes.
Proposed rehabilitation programs will be carried out in the flood-hit districts of Batticaloa, Ampara, Trincomalee, Polonnaruwa, Anuradhapura, Vavuniya, Mannar, Mullaitivu, Badulla, Nuwara-Eliya, Matale, Kandy and Kilinochchi.
The PTF informed the President that agriculture, road network, provincial and national highway network have been severely damaged and ver 500 tanks, anicuts and several irrigation systems were also damaged due to floods.
The government has allocated 33 billion rupees (approximately 30 million US dollars) for rehabilitation and restoration programs in the affected districts.