News
Nelummala village still picking up the pieces
View(s):- Enduring the horrors of Cyclone Ditwah, they still await promised relief
By Nadisha Athukorale and Dishani Jayamali Karunaratna
Nelummala, Minipe: Last Friday, religious events were held to mark the three-month remembrance of some 31 people who died in the landslides in this village as a result of Cyclone Ditwah.
Villagers who remained are struggling to cope with the loss of family members while struggling to regain their livelihoods and expecting that the government would fulfil promises of financial relief.
Dozens across Sri Lanka wait to reclaim normalcy in their daily lives. Pix by Jayamal Chandrasiri
The villagers of Nelummala, located at the foot of Yahangala, Udattawa, in the Minipe Divisional Secretariat of the Kandy District, would never have imagined that the Knuckles mountain range would collapse.
The lush, cultivated paddy fields have become wasteland. Where there were houses, today there are only boulders, large trees, and muddy puddles.
The silence of death has spread throughout the village.
In the past, Nelummala village was a beautiful place blessed by nature. But today it is a graveyard where 31 people are buried. The huge boulders and mounds of soil that came from the bedrock have torn Nelummala apart, leaving no trace of the village. Of the 13 houses in the village, only one house remains.
The torrential rains of November 27 mercilessly descended about six kilometres from Yahangala Mountain in the Knuckles Mountain Range, burying 31 lives. Although the bodies of 26 people who were buried have been recovered, the villagers are still searching for five others, three months on.
G.G. Bandara, who survived by fighting against the great flood, recalled the terrifying experience that day.
“As if by a miracle, our entire family survived that day. I saw the landslide with my own eyes. When I went out and came to the yard, I couldn’t go inside the house. My two daughters and wife were inside the house. When the floodwaters reached the level of the coconut trees, the two children were not even able to go inside.”
“The two children and wife were in the house. I shouted as hard as I could to save them. When the first landslide came, I saw the heads of the children, but when the second one came, the two children were gone. Even though I saw my wife, I couldn’t get to her. I ran through the rubble and went to the temple and shouted for them. The monk came with me carrying a torch. No one could be found. It was pitch dark. But I believed that they must be alive somewhere there. The environment immediately became like the ocean. At about 12 o’clock, the two daughters and the woman were rescued.
“Both daughters are still in shock. They still cry when it gets dark. We spent all the money I had earned and rebuilt the house, but we were not lucky enough to live in that house for a year,” he said.
Mr Bandara said he lost 11 members of his family, including his two sisters. “There is no house left; all four of us live in a small rented room. We have children of marriageable age. I wake up every morning with great sadness. The children always cry, ‘What happened to us, Father?’ We were people who battled with the earth and lived on rice without being a burden to the government or anyone.
“These cannot be rebuilt. There are still bodies under these. There is no suitable environment to live in. Now this is a grave. We had great faith in the government. We are still hoping that they will prepare a plan to build a place for us to live. But for three months now, the government has not moved. Everyone came, looked, and made promises. But even after three months, all we are left with are tears,” he said.
“Government officials came to Nelummala with promises. They said they would pay compensation the very next day. The same amount as building houses. But three months have passed. Still no compensation. I have to meet officials every day to submit forms,” he noted.
Another villager, Sunil, said they have been living in a rented house for three months now.
“Initially, we were given Rs. 25,000 after we vacated the house. That was it. We have not received any rent money till today. The week before last, when we went to the District Secretary’s office, they promised the money immediately. But we have not received that money,’’ he said.
Mr Sunil also expressed his helplessness. “We are renting a house. We have not received the money for the rental. Two acres of our paddy fields are covered in layers of sand and soil. We filled out a form for the damaged paddy fields. But nothing has happened yet.
Dinushika Kumari, who survived a landslide in Nelummala village by hanging from a branch of a Bo tree, recalling the events that took place on that fateful day, said: “At that time, my sister, I, and my mother were at home. My father couldn’t come in. There was an unimaginable flood.
“The house was completely destroyed. When the second storm pushed me further, I hung on a branch of a Bo tree. I couldn’t hold the branch and was shivering. My hand felt numb. I was afraid that the branch would break. I couldn’t even scream. My body was covered in wounds. My father came and saved me. Our whole life stopped like that. I can’t even imagine how to rebuild.’’
Venerable Pallewatta Chandananda Thero of Udattawa Temple said, ”People from about 60 to 70 families have been evacuated from those houses. No solution has been provided to any of those families yet. Those families are renting because they were told to move to rented houses. But the government has not paid the rent.
“The promised money has not been received. School supplies and money for the children who faced this disaster to earn a living have not been received. The families of people who died in the landslide have not received any compensation. At least their death certificates were not received on time. The most serious problem is that the main livelihood of these villagers was farming. The paddy fields have about 15 feet of sand and mud. All the paddy fields were destroyed.
“The government has not provided any assistance to clean the canals and cultivate the paddy fields. These people are not asking for pity. They are asking for justice.’’
Dozens across Sri Lanka wait to reclaim normalcy in their daily lives.
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