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Ditwah leaves over 150 dead, 200 missing, one million affected
View(s):- Death toll expected to rise; President convenes crucial meeting on post-disaster recovery
By Chandani Kirinde and Damith Wickremasekara
Rescue workers continued the grim task of recovering bodies in the aftermath of Cyclone Ditwah’s devastation, with more than 150 reported dead, over 200 missing, and close to a million affected by one of the worst natural disasters to hit the country in recent years.
The Disaster Management Centre said last evening that all 25 districts have been affected by cyclonic conditions, with the highest number of deaths reported so far in Badulla (52), followed by Kandy (52) and Matale (12). The highest number of people reported missing is from the Kandy district, amounting to over 100, the DMC said.
The total number of families affected by the natural disaster, according to official figures, stood at 217,263, or 774,724 people, as of 6 p.m. yesterday, but the figure was reported to be over one million. Officials said the numbers are rising as rescue workers make inroads into areas that have become inaccessible due to flooding, landslides and earth slips.
Last evening, Kurunegala police reported that 11 inmates of an elder’s home were swept away by floodwaters, while eight persons remain missing in the Ibbaganuwa area. In Indulgoda, also in the Kurunegala District, 12 persons were reported missing, of whom five bodies were recovered by last evening.
In Pannala, another 20 were reported missing after a landslide reported yesterday.
At least six major landslides were reported yesterday alone.
The deadly tropical cyclone named ‘Ditwah’ began unleashing heavy rains and winds across the country on Wednesday night and continued yesterday, impacting all 25 districts, with the Eastern, North Central, Northwestern and Central provinces getting the brunt of its impact.
The rescue team, made up largely of personnel from the Sri Lanka Army, Navy and Air Force, got a breather yesterday with little or no rain in most of the districts as the cyclone moved away from the eastern landmass of the country and headed out to sea.
While the cyclone is expected to move north-northwestwards and approach the Tamil Nadu coast by today (November 30) and there will be a reduction in the rainy weather condition, the Meteorology Department said showers or thundershowers will occur at times in Northern, North Central, and Northwestern provinces and in the Trincomalee district with fairly heavy rainfalls. Very strong winds at times, about 50-60 kmph and gusting up to 70 kmph, can be expected over most parts of the country, the department said, advising the people to take adequate precautions to minimise damages caused by strong winds.
Along with the human cost, thousands of acres of paddy lands, vegetables and other crops were destroyed, while minor tanks, bridges, anicuts, canals, minor irrigation systems, roads and railway lines were damaged or destroyed.
Meanwhile, President Anura Kumara Dissanayake last night presided over a meeting attended by selected Cabinet ministers to finalise a short-term plan to be implemented in the coming weeks, Public Security Minister Ananda Wijepala told the Sunday Times.
The immediate focus would be on the rescue and recovery efforts, he said, as well as providing safe shelters for those who have lost their homes.
As some villages have been made inaccessible due to landslides, steps will be taken to initially build temporary roads to access these areas till permanent roads can be built, he said.
An emergency plan will also be put in place for the distribution of vegetables, rice and other essentials throughout the country, as the distribution networks have collapsed. “We will import certain goods to meet the shortages of dry rations and other essential items,” the minister said.
He said Health Minister Nalinda Jayatissa has been instructed to coordinate preventive health care programmes to cover those in temporary shelters to stop the spread of communicable diseases and other illnesses.
The agriculture sector is among the worst affected. The government has instructed the District Secretaries to get the estimates of the losses so that prompt action can be taken to pay compensation as well as provide seeds and fertiliser to farmers who have had their crops destroyed in the floods.
Initial estimates show that 510,000 hectares of recently cultivated paddy land have been washed off. The re-cultivation will require around 112,000 metric tonnes of urea and another 60,000 metric tonnes of other fertiliser.
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