Sri Lanka: Mahinda Rajapaksa Meets Flood Victims

The President of Sri Lanka, Mahinda Rajapaksa, has visited Rabewa in the North Central Province to check the effects of flooding on the local people in the area. The visit took place on Wednesday 9th February 2011.

The President of Pakistan, Asif Ali Zardari, telephoned the President of Sri Lanka on Monday 7th February 2011 to extend his sympathies and offer the support of the Pakistani people.

The visit coincides with the upcoming publication of a report from the Asian Development Bank identifying Sri Lanka as a country which could experience significant populations shifts as a reaction to climate change.

Rs 850 million has been allocated by the Sri Lankan treasury to deal with the impacts of flooding. The breakdown is as follows:

  • Batticaloa district Rs. 100 million
  • Ampara district Rs. 50.5 million
  • Trincomalee district Rs. 43 million
  • Vauniya district Rs. 33 million
  • Polonnaruwa district Rs. 23.8 million
  • Rs. 17.1 million for Mannar
  • Rs. 6.4 million for Mulativ
  • Rs. 5 million for Kilinochchi
  • Rs. 1.6 million for Jaffna district
  • Rs. 10.5 million for Matale
  • Rs. 4.5 million for Nuwara Eliya
  • Rs. 3.8 million for Kandy Districts
  • Rs. 23 million for Badulla district
  • Rs. 3.2 million for Monaragala district
  • Rs. 1 million for Matara
  • Rs. 1 million for Hambantota
  • Rs. 1 million for Kegalle district.

UNICEF has sent supplies worth USD $600,000 to the east of country. 200,000 people have been sheltered in 703 temporary evacuation centres in 15 districts, according to the UN Office for the Coordination of Humanitarian Affairs (OCHA).

The UN World Food Programme (WFP) said it distributed food aid to 326,000 people last weekend and is aiming to feed half a million of those affected. The agency provided rations to 500,000 people affected by the first wave of floods in five districts last month.

The floods have claimed the lives of 14 people, caused injury to nine, while two others are listed as missing.

Flood waters have damaged rice plantations and other crops in communities where farming is the main livelihood. The rains have also affected aid delivery with many roads still submerged or damaged.

Donors have, as of today, provided $8.4 million of the $51 million requested by humanitarian agencies last month to respond to the flood crisis. The appeal will be revised at the end of this month, according to OCHA.

According to the Disaster Management Center (DMC) of Sri Lanka, as of noon Monday, 1,223,052 people from 326,230 families in 18 districts have been affected by the floods and landslide threats.

Eleven deaths have been reported so far while 3 have been reported as missing.

A total of 311,281 people have been displaced by the floods and they have been given shelter in 744 government-run shelters.

1,813 houses have been extensively damaged while 11,471 houses have been partially damaged, the Disaster Management Center further stated.

Anuradhapura, Polonnaruwa, Vavuniya, Kilinochchi, Puttalam, Monaragala, Ampara, Batticaloa, Mannar and Trincomalee districts are the worst affected areas due to floods.

Landslides in central hill region have made some roads impassable. The main Nuwara Eliya – Gampola – Kandy road has been closed.


In This Story: Sri Lanka

Sri Lanka, officially the Democratic Socialist Republic of Sri Lanka is an island country in South Asia, located in the Indian Ocean southwest of the Bay of Bengal and southeast of the Arabian Sea. Sri Lanka has been called “the pearl of the Indian ocean” because of its shape and location.

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1 thought on “Sri Lanka: Mahinda Rajapaksa Meets Flood Victims”

  1. A true leader must stay with his citizen to share the feelings in disasters as well as good times. He is a good leader with a huge personality.

    Reply

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