31,000 people affected by floods

Four persons have been killed and around 31,000 people affected due to floods and torrential rains during the last few days, the Disaster Management Centre said yesterday.

Assistant Director of the Disaster Management Centre Prdeep Kodippili said the rains have affected 8,268 families in the Kalutara, Colombo and Gampaha districts.

Out of them 4,160 families are in the Gampaha district, 4,000 families in the Colombo district and 108 families in the Kalutara district. Two farmers in Embilipitiya, Sevanagala had died due to lightning on Saturday while lightning also struck a woman in Elpitiya while plucking tea leaves. One person from Mahagastenne, Nuwara Eliya too had died due to lightning on Friday.

Disaster Management Coordinator of the Gampaha district Ajith Nishantha said 3,600 families in Wattala, 30 families in Biyagama, 102 families in Mahara, 200 families in Negombo and 220 families in Katana have been badly affected by floods.

He said in these areas most of the houses were under water for the last two days. In Wattala due to 14 houses going completely under water the families were stationed at a welfare centre in Wattala, Kerawalapitiya, he said.

He said cooked food was supplied to the affected families through the Divisional Secretaries in the Gampaha district. Colombo District Disaster Management Coordinator H.KC.L. Pathirana said the flood waters inside houses in Nawagampura, Bloemendhal, Grandpass and Maligawatte have subsided yesterday.

In Rajagiriya, Buthgama there were about 15 houses under water. Those families were staying at Rajagiriya Sudarshanarama Temple, he said. He said that providing cooked food for the affected families was being continued.

In the Kalutara district though the number of families affected was 108 there was fear the number might increase since heavy rains continued to lash the area, Disaster Management Coordinator Major Sanjeewa Samaranayake said.

More rain, thunder and lightning

The Meteorology Department said the country was going through a pre-monsoon phase with the monsoon proper or South-West monsoon expected to break this week.

Therefore, more rains accompanied with strong winds, thunder and lightning could be expected to continue for the next few days as well.

A rainfall of 59 mm was recorded from Ratmalana according to the Disaster Management Centre. The Met Department has warned the public to be vigilant against thunder and lightning as their electrical appliances could be damaged.

Beware of water borne diseases

By Indika Sri Aravinda

The threat of water borne diseases including dengue spreading has resurfaced with the heavy rain over the past few days and the onset of the monsoon expected this week, health officials told Daily Mirror online.

Health Ministry official Dr Risintha Premaratna also said that people should be extra cautious when consuming food from outside as the recent floods in Colombo and its outskirts could have affected the vegetables sold in the market.

The official urged the public to avoid purchasing food from the pavements including vegetables and also urged parents to ensure their children take boiled drinking water from home when going to school instead of drinking tap water.

Health officials also urged the public to keep their surroundings clean in prevent mosquito breeding grounds.

Source from: Dailymirror.lk
MONDAY, 17 MAY 2010 00:00
By Thilini de Silva