Monsoon rains flood Vanni

[TamilNet, Thursday, 04 December 1997, 23:59 GMT]
The monsoon rains are continuing to wreak havoc in the Vanni. People, mostly those displaced as refugees, living by tank bunds and spills and rivers have been asked to move towards safer areas as water level in these keeps rising to dangerous levels.

The chief irrigation engineer of the Kilinochchi district has asked people to desist from travelling tonight along the route which passes across the spill of the Iranamadu tank.

The spill level in this tank has risen to 32 feet. The sluices will be opened tonight to bring the level to 28 feet which is what the spill can safely bear said the engineer.

As a consequence the road used by civilians to travel between Mullaithivu and the other parts of the Vanni will be completely inundated until the water reaches the safety level.