Floods claim 5 lives in Sri Lanka

[TamilNet, Sunday, 01 June 2008, 17:27 GMT]
The South-west monsoon rains that has been pouring down non-stop for the past four days have claimed 5 lives while affecting 32,000 people belonging to 10,000 families in Ratnapura, Galle, Kaluthura, Gampaha and Colombo districts, Disaster Management Centre in Colombo said. The torrential rain may continue for another 5 days due to low pressure created by the South-west monsoon, according to Sri Lanka Meteorological Centre.

4000 families in Ratnapura and 1500 families in Galle districts, living in five low lying areas in each district have been severely affected by floods. Meanwhile, 3150 families residing in low lying places in Kaluthura district, 3493 families in 15 Grama Sevaka divisions in Gampaha and 1700 families in Colombo and its suburbs, living in low lying areas are faced with the same situation.

Landslides caused by downpour in the hills of Hatton and Nawalpitiya have suspended travel on Colombo-Hatton and Colombo-Nawalapitiya roads while water level in the reservoirs in these hill stations has risen markedly, the sources said.

Of the five deaths one is from Kaluthura district where 40 houses have been damaged by floods.