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News Image 56789 - Half a million people affected by floods in Sri Lanka
Sunday, 23 May 2010 - 1:26 PM SL Time - Some news pictures are worth a million words
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Half a million people affected by floods in Sri Lanka
Floods caused by heavy rain in several areas of Sri Lanka have affected more than half a million people, and taken at least 20 lives. Torrential pre-monsoon rains were worsened by cyclone Laila, which formed in the Bay of Bengal.
The worst-hit districts are Colombo, Kalutara and Gampaha in the west. Many other areas in the south, northwest, east, north-central and inland are also inundated. According to the disaster management ministry, nearly 180,000 people in Gampaha, 140,000 in Colombo and 91,000 in Kalutara are affected.
On Thursday, government officials declared an emergency situation in the Nuwara Eliya district of the central hills. Tea plantations and poor workers there face the threat of landslides.
Although cyclone Laila is moving away from the island, strong windy conditions will continue, leading to showers in the Western, Central, Sabaragamuwa and Southern Provinces, according to the Meteorological Department. Bus and train transport remains severely curtailed because of flooding.
Many parts of Colombo have been flooded, disturbing normal activities. Those most affected are poor shanty dwellers living in low-lying areas, on canal banks and along the Kelani River. More than half the capital s population live in shanties many are street hawkers or do odd jobs. In the Kalutara district, south of Colombo, farmers and workers in small plantations have been badly hit. Flood waters have cut off some villages.
The government media reported that President Mahinda Rajapakse held an emergency meeting on Tuesday to discuss the floods, but allocated just 80 million rupees ($US700,000) for the hundreds of thousands of victims.
Disaster Management Minister A.H.M. Fowzie was forced to acknowledge the inadequacy of the allocation. Saying that he was forwarding a cabinet proposal to increase the meal allowance of 30 rupees per person, he added: I want to double the amount. It is shameful to give 30 rupees for a meal when I know the present price of food.
Rajapakse has ordered the authorities to remove the people living along canal banks in Colombo and its suburbs, and to take prompt action against the unauthorised constructions that led to this situation .
While these orders were presented as a sympathetic effort to assist flood-affected families, there is suspicion that the government is using the emergency to clear shanties as part of a plan to develop Colombo as a commercial hub. On May 7, the government began to remove poor families from the city when soldiers and police demolished houses at Slave Island in central Colombo.
To divert attention from its own responsibility for the massive toll taken by the floods, the government has started blame-shifting. Minister Fowzie accused the Colombo municipal authority of failing to clear drains and culverts. He also declared that residents were responsible for dumping polythene and refuse in canals, blocking them.
The floods are a result of a natural disaster. However, the responsibility for the severe consequences, particularly for poor people, lies directly with the government. Successive governments have promised housing, sanitary facilities and infrastructure but nothing has happened. At the same time, billions of rupees have been spent on the security forces, first to pursue the war against the Liberation Tigers of Tamil Eelam (LTTE), and now to enforce the government s pro-business and austerity measures.
On Thursday, WSWS correspondents visited flood victims in Kotikawatta-Mulleriyawa, on the outskirts of Colombo. Nearly 300 people have taken refuge in a local school, while 630 families are still living in flooded houses.
They blamed the authorities for their plight. A mechanism to pump excess water from the area to the Kelani River had been abandoned after only one year. Residents had also demanded houses elsewhere but to no avail. The government had ignored several protests against the dumping of garbage by a private company, which had contributed to floods.
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seenimalli
Joined: Apr 2009
Posts: 706
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 23 May 2010 06:49:53 GMT Report for Abuse
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This is a plot of the CIA and the western countries to discredit the war victory celebrations,according to the GOSL news item.
Those who are effected will be compensated of their losses by the west.
So don't worry, is a friend indeed???
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samadi
Senior Member
Joined: Jun 2007
Posts: 7866
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 23 May 2010 06:54:08 GMT Report for Abuse
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Shall we say Thank You to the public sector?
http://www.dailynews.lk/2010/05/22/fea02.asp
thank you!!
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samlk
Joined: Aug 2006
Posts: 359
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 23 May 2010 09:06:31 GMT Report for Abuse
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| Forget whatever said about SL police, we should appreciate what this Ralahami is doing. just imagine how embarrassing it will be if you have to do this in the middle of the road? |
nale
Senior Member
Joined: May 2006
Posts: 8107
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 23 May 2010 11:34:07 GMT Report for Abuse
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What is there to be embarressed doing your job.
Only Nazis with mahavamase mindset may be embarressed about it. |
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