Floods isolate Batticaloa

[TamilNet, Monday, 04 January 1999, 19:23 GMT]
Traffic between Colombo and Batticaloa came to a halt today as heavy rains completely inundated the Mannampiddi causeway, about eighty kilometers north of the eastern town.

The causeway lies by the western bank of Sri Lanka's longest river, the Mahaweli Ganga, the overflowing water of which flood the low lying areas on its west bank.

Many parts of Batticaloa's hinterland have been flooded by jungle streams and rivulets, such as the Moongil Aaru (the Bamboo river) and the Ambumunai Aaru (arrow head river)in the Batticaloa district and Thaali Poatta Aaru (the river where the pendent of marriage was dropped), Kanji Kudichcha Aaru (the river where porridge was drunk) and Naaval Aaru south of Thirukkovil in the Ampara district have been swelled by the unusually heavy monsoon rains this year said sources in the region today.

A farmer, identified as Tharmalingam Sangarappillai,28, of Siththaandy who tried to cross the raging floods at Uppodai, immediately west of Vanthaarumoolai, 24 kilometers north of Batticaloa was swept away by the rushing waters this morning around 7.30 a.m.

Residents said that his body has not yet been found.

The farmer was on his way to his field in the western hinterland said his relatives.