Perilous
Times and Climate Change
Heavy rains trigger massive flooding in Sri Lanka
From Iqbal Athas, For CNN
December 27, 2010 8:19 a.m. EST
STORY HIGHLIGHTS
* The torrential rain lasted for 24 hours, official says
* More than 500 homes reported damaged
Colombo, Sri Lanka (CNN) -- More than 200,000 people have been
affected by flooding resulting from heavy rains in Sri Lanka, a
disaster management official said Monday.
Heavy rains lasted from noon Sunday to about noon on Monday, said
A.R. Jayarathne, assistant director of the country's Disaster
Management Center.
Large tanks in the region, set up to irrigate rice paddy fields,
overflowed, forcing authorities to open sluice gates, he said.
While no one had been forced from their homes, food waters had
entered homes and caused minor damage in numerous locations, he
said. At least 532 houses reported partial damage.
Some 2,915 people living in Internally Displaced Persons camps
were also affected. The camps remain after the nation's opposition
Tamil Tiger rebels were militarily defeated in May 2009.
A Buddhist temple, Somawathiya, located in the North Central
Province capital of Polonnaruwa, was cut off after a nearby river
overflowed, Jayarathne said. At least 40 people, including 20
soldiers, were stranded, but were not in danger, he said.