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Ditwah leaves carnage and catastrophe in its wake; 20 districts badly hit
View(s):By Jayanie Madawala
The death toll from Cyclone Ditwah rose to 159 as of Saturday, marking one of Sri Lanka’s worst natural disasters after years; with search operations underway for more than 203 missing persons across the country.
Cyclone Ditwah ravaged across the island triggering deadly floods and landslides causing severe hardships to over 833,985. A total of over 120,000 people from 25 districts have been moved to 919 temporary shelters.
According to the Department of Meteorology and the Disaster Management Centre, 20 out of the 25 districts were badly hit. Kandy reported the most deaths.
The country has experienced exceptionally heavy rain with Gammaduwa in the Matale District recording the highest rainfall in recent times, 540.6 mm. Director General of the Department of Meteorology, Atula Karunanayake said “Based on my experience, this could be the highest rainfall recorded in Sri Lanka in recent history.”
Three major bridges were washed away in Matale. Pic by Kanchana Kumara
Several areas across the Central and Sabaragamuwa regions reported extreme rainfall totals, some exceeding 300 mm. Meanwhile many iconic waterfalls in Sri Lanka have turned into terrifying rivers of mud.
Tragically many vehicles and houses got washed away as flood waters cascaded through cities, and also most railway services in almost every part of the country were cancelled.
The heavy rains and floods have also resulted in communication disruptions, power cuts, and fallen power lines as well.
According to the Met Department, prevailing rainy weather conditions will be considerably reduced by the weekend.
The Irrigation Department has stated that regarding the tanks under the Department of Irrigation, more than 50 large-scale reservoirs overflowed. Approximately 50 medium-scale tanks are also overflowing.
In addition there have been widespread electricity disruptions, with more than 65,000 power outages reported nationwide.
48 irrigation reservoir sluice gates were opened.
The government has instructed to utilise financial aid from the allocated funds for urgent recurrent expenses for flood relief. The President has instructed to provide Rs. 1 million in compensation for each individual who died as a result of floods and landslides.
Highlights from the affected districts:
Badulla
The District Secretary of Badulla, Prabath Abeywardena, has reported at least 49 deaths and 41 people are yet to be found.
He said 23,124 people of 5780 families are facing hardships while 119 houses have been damaged and 611 partially damaged. He has stated that several areas remain heavily flooded, while roads remain inundated and inaccessible in the area.
The police and tri-forces evacuated approximately 200 residents from Kalanwatte hill in Badulla to safer locations due to a risk of landslides.
The Uva Paranagama bus station got significantly damaged due to a landslide, damaging also numerous buses.
Colombo
Prasanna Ginige, District Secretariat of Colombo, said that 96 divisional secretary areas were affected. Some 100,000 persons were affected. On Saturday the Kelani river was continuing to rise and people had taken shelter in 26 safety centres.
One of the main concerns within the Colombo city was trees collapsing, causing damage to several vehicles. In the Moratuwa area alone over 100 trees had fallen.
Authorities noted that Kolonnawa, in decades, is facing its worst flood situation in recent history while police and authorities were trying to persuade people to leave to safer locations.
Gampaha
In Gampaha District 123,524 people of 31,000 families faced difficulties, while 13,242 people were moved to 28 safety centres.
Gampaha hospital was inundated due to the rains and all the patients have been evacuated to the upper floors.
Water levels in the Attanagalu Oya at the Dunamale gauging station have exceeded the major flood level, with significant upstream rainfall recorded in Gampaha town. The adjacent low-lying regions too were inundated.
Residents of Dompe, Biyagama ,Wattala and Kelaniya were requested to be vigilant.
Kandy
The Kandy District Secretary has confirmed 52 deaths in the district while 105 people remain missing as at Friday evening.
The district was the worst affected, with several landslides including fresh incidents being reported on Saturday.
At least 37 houses were fully destroyed and 99 partially damaged. Some 25,290 individuals from 8,000 families were affected. There are 76 safety centres accommodating 2,639 people of 954 families.
The Mahaweli River has overflowed, submerging several locations along Geli Oya and Peradeniya towns.
A massive landslide buried the village of Gangoda in the Ududumbara area. Many deaths are suspected, with authorities confirming that at least 188 families were affected.
Another landslide on Old Railway Yard Road in Nawalapitiya has tragically killed three family members, including a three-month-old infant. Five persons died while another 12 reported missing due to a landslide in Hasalaka , Pamunuwa.
A married couple aged 76 and 78 have died after a mound of earth collapsed on a house in Medagama, Pathahewaheta, while three people have died in a disaster that occurred in the Ududumbara area.
A severe landslide struck the village of Rambuk-ela in the Alawathugoda Police Division at approximately 1.30 am on Saturday. Officials have said there were at least 800 people residing in the village and many are missing.
Severe flooding has also impacted the Peradeniya, Gampola, and Nawalapitiya areas as the Mahaweli River overflowed.
The University of Peradeniya is closed as the adjoining areas were inundated, including the Akbar Bridge.
The Royal Botanic Gardens were submerged and the Getambe Temple was also underwater for the first time despite the local belief that it never gets flooded.
Ampara
Ampara District Secretary Chinthaka Abeywickrema said that at least 8 deaths were reported and more than 51, 000 acres of paddy lands are under water. 21 000 acres of corn were damaged by strong winds.
“The biggest issue is there was no electricity in the district, and as a result water supplies were also affected,” he said.
Over 1200 persons are in welfare centres.
The Senanayake tank was 14 ft below spill level. Even though the rains have reduced, water still has to go down. A bridge in Pottuvil has collapsed and Panama was cut off.
One of the most tragic incidents reported from Sainamarudhu was when a car plunged into a flooded canal, claiming lives of three of the same family including a child.
A bus carrying 21 individuals, including prison inmates and officers, was caught in severe floodwaters in Dehiattakandiya, but was rescued later.
Nuwara Eliya
The Nuwara Eliya town went underwater for the first time in 60 years.
Six deaths and four missing persons have been reported following a landslide in the Munwatta area of Walapane in the Nuwara Eliya District, with 250 families (920 people) affected.
A landslide has occurred near Rambadagama in Kotmale, affecting the middle section of the village Pudalu Oya. Reports indicate that several people went missing after the landslide.
Polonnaruwa
Tens of thousands of paddy lands have been submerged and it is likely that rice production will be heavily affected.
Adverse weather has affected over 14,943 people of 4,218 families in Polonnaruwa District. The road to Batticaloa has been closed at Manampitiya while the Somawathiya-Sungavila main road was also closed due to inundation following the overflowing of the Mahaweli River.
Authorities report that the area between the 35-37 km posts of the Somawathiya-Sungavila road in Diggala area is submerged under approximately two feet of water. Also the Manampitiya–Gallella section of the Polonnaruwa-Batticaloa main road has been flooded.
Kurunegala
Kurunegala District Secretary Chandana Dissanayake said that as on Saturday morning 7 deaths were reported, and 12 persons were still missing. Some 4750 people are in welfare centres. Several persons trapped including a group of workers in a farm in Nikaweratiya were rescued by the Air force.
Thirty-three people were rescued by the Air Force in Galgamuwa, Giribawa yesterday. (29)
Puttalam
The adverse weather has affected approximately 83,217 people from 22,124 families in the Puttalam district due to heavy rains and flooding caused by the overflowing of tanks and the Deduru Oya.
Sri Lanka Navy and other rescue teams rescued all the 67 people from a flood-struck bus near Kala Oya bridge near Eluwankulama.
Patients who were receiving treatment at the Chilaw Hospital have been rushed to other hospitals as the hospital premises got flooded.
Pallama, Chilaw, and Arachchikattuwa were among the worst affected areas, with over 1,000 houses reportedly under water. The adverse weather also caused damage in Wanathawilluwa, Mundalama, Karuwalagaswewa, and Naththandiya.
Educational institutions, including the Puttalam Central College, have suspended activities until further notice due to inundation.
Monaragala
Some 1,980 people of 593 families were affected in the Monaragala district, resulting in 3 fatalities.
A resident of Urugoda in the Dombagahawela Police Division died after falling off a bridge after being caught in a flash flood near the Uru Oya Bridge on the Ampitiya Road. Another resident of the same area has died after trying to cross the Kuda Oyanear the 16th milestone on the Nakkala-Badulla Road.
Spill gates of the Weheragala reservoir were opened, leading to rising water levels in the Menik Ganga.
Anuradhapura
Anuradhapura district Secretary K G R Wimalasuriya stated that the district has received continuous rain for 72 hours. One death was reported while 23,000 were in welfare centres. Several rescue operations to save families were underway. An operation to rescue wild animals too was launched.
A man stranded for more than 24 hours on top of a coconut tree after the Kala Wewa overflow in Anuradhapura was safely rescued by a helicopter from the Sri Lanka Air Force.
Matale
Three major bridges were washed away: the Moragahakanda Main Bridge, the Elahera Bridge, and the Kumara Ella Bridge. 8 deaths were reported and 3 were missing in the district.
The Moragahakanda Main Bridge, located along the Moragahakanda–Hettipola Road (B312), was swept away by raging waters. The bridge was a vital link between Matale, Polonnaruwa, and Kurunegala districts, supporting agricultural transport and access to the Moragahakanda Reservoir.
The Elahera Bridge is located on the Naula–Polathuwadiya Road. Kumara Ella Bridge is on the Dambulla–Mahiyanganaya Road.
Anuradhapura
The entire district has been affected by flooding and several thousand paddy lands have been damaged.
All the irrigation tanks have reached spill level and they have been releasing large volumes of water, inundating low-lying areas.
The Department of Prisons announced that all inmates held at the Anuradhapura Prison have been safely relocated after the prison complex got inundated.
The inmates were transferred to a temporary detention centre at a school in Anuradhapura.
Batticaloa
Heavy rains in Batticaloa have caused submersion in areas like Vallaveli and Kaththankudy, resulting in 16,338 people of 5,328 families being affected, one person missing, and many being displaced.
Trincomalee
In the Trincomalee District a reported 11,350 people from 3,844 families were affected.
Jaffna/Kilinochchi/Vavuniya/Mannar
In the Jaffna District one person was reported dead while 746 were heavily affected. The numbers affected in the other districts were: Kilinochchi- 1678 people, Vavuniya- 4,158 and Mannar 134 people. Many areas in Vavuniya district were still inundated causing disruption to motor traffic.
Galle and Hambantota
The DMC stated that 02 individuals were reported dead and 02 individuals were still unaccounted for in the Galle and Hambanthota districts, while affecting more than 7000 individuals.
Kalutara/Ratnapura
The Irrigation Department indicates that a major flood situation is likely to occur in the Kalu ganga Basin.
M S C Herath, Kalutara district secretariat, mentioned that residents of Ingiriya and Bulathsinhala living close to Kalu ganga have been evacuated to safe locations.
Low-lying areas in the Ratnapura District, including Pelmadulla, Nivitigala, Ratnapura, Kuruwita, Ayagama, and Elapatha, and areas in the Kalutara District including Kalutara, Ingiriya, Horana, Dodangoda, Millaniya, Bulathsinhala, Palindanuwara, Madurawala, and Agalawatta Divisional Secretariat Divisions are expected to be affected.
Kegalle
At least 9 deaths have been reported and 21 others are missing following a landslide in Monroviyawatte in Thulhiriya. In addition, 24 others are missing in the district.
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