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Dozens of Maspanna families await Ditwah damage payouts
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Unliveable houses, impassable roads: Maspanna’s disaster-hit residents still await promised compensation, ten weeks after the November 27 catastrophe
Text and pix by K.R. Rajamanthri in Maspanna, Uva Paranagama
Ven Nagadeepa Pannayasara Thera
Nearly three months after the November 27 Cyclone Ditwah disaster that triggered unprecedented floods and landslides, the villagers in Maspanna are trying to come to terms with the devastation, and the government-promised assistance is still trickling in.
A story also emerged from the village that a dog had alerted a family who in turn managed to get some of the villagers to safety.
But the tragedy left at least five dead, 18 houses destroyed and 552 houses partially damaged. Farmlands were damaged, access roads were cut off and electricity was also disrupted.
Many affected villagers have got Rs 25,000 to clean up their houses, but assurances that payments would be made to rent have not been kept, they say.
Namal Priyanna
K. B. Shriyani Manel of Maragastenna, Maspanna, 42, mother of two daughters and a son who is an undergraduate, told the Sunday Times that their livelihood was a two-acre pepper cultivation.
“On November 26, there was a landslide reported nearby. On the following day, towards evening, we heard a loud sound similar to a helicopter flying over. We ran out to check but only saw boulders rolling down towards the house. We ran to safety to the nearby temple,’’ she recalled.
“The next day we returned to check the house and saw that the two-acre pepper cultivation had been destroyed in the landslide, while the house was damaged and part of it was under water. Some 1,200 kilograms of pepper stored in the house too were destroyed.’’
They had got Rs 25,000 to clean up the house but could not live there. She and her brother decided to rent.
“We were promised payments for the rent, but so far we have not got it. We have handed over the applications to the Grama Sevakas, but we are yet to get a response. But, fortunately, the house owner has not demanded the rent so far,” she said.
Shriyani Manel
“Most in this village have not got any payments, other than the Rs 25,000. We only hear reports on the television saying 70 to 80% of the compensation has been paid,’’ she said.
Ms Shriyani and her husband have now leased an abandoned paddy field and are now cultivating tomatoes to make a living.
The chief incumbent of Jayasumnaramaya, Ven Nagadeepa Pannayasara Thera, told the Sunday Times some 13 families have been evicted and lost their livelihood, but they have not received any compensation, other than the Rs 25,000.
The Thero said applications have been handed over to the Grama Sevaka, but they have not been informed of any resettlement plan.
“The village has been cut off, as the main bus route was covered by a landslide. Children can’t go to schools; there is no way to transport a patient,’’ he said.
D.B.Rathnayaka
The landslide threat had existed for the past 10 years, and eventually the road was covered by a landslide, while a power line running through the area was also damaged. A temporary line has been provided, but the voltage fluctuates.
Besides, the distribution of drinking water to some 75 families by the Uva Paranagama Pradeshiya Sabha has come to a standstill as there is no power supply to the motor.
Electricity posts have toppled, and the live wires were a risk to road users. “It is sorry to see at least the Ceylon Electricity Board officials have not taken arrangements to fix them.’’
A retired Grama Sevaka in the area, D.B. Ratnayake, told the Sunday Times that five deaths were reported, but only Rs 100,000 each had been paid as compensation, despite an assurance that Rs 1 million each will be paid.
He said the National Building Research Organisation has reported that seven buildings, including the Maternity and Child Clinic building, are at high risk and recommended evacuations during heavy rains, but other government institutions, the bus stop, and the Ayurveda Hospital also have to be evacuated, and so a method of preventing landslides using new techniques should be developed.
T.G. Namal Priyanna Wickramasuriya, 40, a resident of Maspanna, Galahitiyawa, operated a motor mechanic shop near the Maspanna bus stop. He said that on the night of November 27, a boulder above the small town of Maspanna crashed onto the bus stop.
“The entire country learned through the media that the lives of people around this bus stop were saved by the dog named Chuti, who alerted us. Four buses, one three-wheeler and three motorcycles parked at the bus stop were under water,’’ he said.
Even the public toilet near the bus stop has not been cleared, he said.
The situation in many other areas of the Badulla district has not been too different.
The overall figures indicate that although the majority had been paid Rs 25,000 for cleaning up, other payments had been slow.
The Disaster Management Unit of the Badulla District Secretariat said that some 19,706 families were badly affected and 17,936 families had been paid Rs 25,000, while Rs 50,000 to purchase household items had been paid to 4,034 families. (See graphic for further details).
A senior official of the unit said compensation will be provided in the next few days, and they are assessing the damage to property.
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