by Ifham Nizam

There had been a decrease in rainfall yesterday in most parts of the country, but water levels in Kelani Ganga -Hanwella area, Kuda Ganga, Maha Ganga and Attangala Oya were still rising, Irrigation Department Disaster Management and Director Hydrology, Eng. S.P.C. Sugeeshwara said.

The Disaster Management Centre said that nearly 1,500 people had been affected due to floods following torrential rains which wreaked havoc in eight districts.

Some 1,200 people families in the Sabaragamuwa, Uva, North Central, Eastern, North Eastern, Central and Western Provinces have been rendered destitute.

Three people were injured in Ratnapura and Kurunegala districts due to floods.

About 100 houses were partially damaged and two houses were destroyed by floods.

Minor floods were reported from several areas across the country.

Water levels of the Kelani, Kalu, Gin, Nilwala, and Mahaweli rivers and also Maha Oya and Attanagalu Oya have risen, the Department of Irrigation said.

The Irrigation Department has warned that there is a high risk of severe floods as the upstream catchment areas of the Maha Oya basin have received heavy rainfall.

The low-lying areas of the Maha Oya valley in the Divisional Secretariat Divisions of Alawwa, Divulapitiya, Mirigama, Pannala, Wennappuwa, Negombo, Katana, Narammala and Dankotuwa have experienced minor flood conditions, says the Irrigation Department, warning that severe floods may occur in the said areas.

The National Building Research Organization (NBRO) has said that there is a risk of landslides in 41 regional secretariat divisions in eight districts.

The Department of Meteorology yesterday said that showers would occur at times in the Western, Sabaragamuwa, and North-Western provinces and Kandy, Nuwara Eliya, Galle, and Matara districts.

Fairly heavy showers above 50mm may occur at some places in Western and Sabaragamuwa provinces and Kandy, Nuwara-Eliya, Galle, and Matara districts.

Several spells of showers may occur in the Northern and North-central provinces.

Showers or thundershowers may occur at a few places in Uva and Eastern province during the evening or night.

Landslide risk notices have been issued to 41 Divisional Secretariat divisions in Colombo, Kalutara, Kandy, Kegalle, Kurunegala, Matale, Nuwara Eliya, and Ratnapura Districts. Red notices have been issued to 11divisional secretariat divisions in five districts–– Ududumbara in the Kandy District, Rambukkana, Ruwanwella Yatiyantota, Bulathkohupitiya and Mawanella in the Kegalle District, Mallawapitiya in Kurunegala district, Ambagamuwa in the Nuwara Eliya District and Kuruwita and Kalawana in the RatnapuraDistrict. In addition to this, a second level landslide warning has been issued to the divisional secretariat divisions of six other districts.

Meanwhile, the water level of the catchment areas of the Kelani river basin has risen due to continuous rainfall.

The Irrigation Department has cautioned that minor floods may occur in low-lying areas of the Divisional Secretariat areas of Dehiowita, Seethawaka, Deraniyagala, Dompe, Avissawella, Hanwella, Kaduwela, Biyagama, Kolonnawa, Colombo and Wattala.