COLOMbO : Disaster Management Centre (DMC) Director Pradeep Kodippili stated that flash floods have been reported in a Divisional Secretariat (DS) division in the Kandy District following heavy rainfall.
As a result, 25 people from eight families have been affected and have been temporarily accommodated at Navalapitiya Bawwagama Vidyalaya. Relief operations are currently underway to assist those displaced by the flooding, he said.
During the past few hours, the highest rainfall of 119 mm was recorded in the Walallawita area of the Kalutara District. Rainfall ranging between 50 mm and 119 mm was also recorded in Hanwella, Elpitiya, Neluwa, Dunhinda, Waturawila and Naula.
Kodippili said the DMC remains fully prepared to respond to both the dry weather conditions affecting several parts of the island and the heavy rainfall experienced in other areas.
He urged the public to remain attentive to weather advisories issued by the Department of Meteorology. Residents in mountainous areas were also advised to remain vigilant for early warnings of possible landslides.
In the event of a disaster, the public has been requested to contact the DMC emergency hotline 117, he added.
Meanwhile, Kodippili stated that 161,451 people from 49,344 families across eight districts have been affected by the prevailing El Niño-related weather conditions.
Measures are currently being implemented to ensure a continuous supply of drinking water to the affected communities. Water distribution is underway for 141,312 people from 43,221 families across 36 Divisional Secretariat divisions.
The districts currently experiencing drinking water shortages are Ampara, Anuradhapura, Badulla, Batticaloa, Matale, Monaragala, Polonnaruwa and Ratnapura.
Furthermore, Kodippili said the Department of Meteorology has issued an announcement regarding an atmospheric disturbance in the lower atmosphere near Sri Lanka.
As a result, cloudy skies with intermittent showers or thundershowers are expected over the Western, Central, Sabaragamuwa, Southern and Uva provinces.
Scattered showers or thundershowers are also likely to develop in other parts of the island after 1.00 p.m., he added.
