Dozens dead, half a million homeless in Sri Lankan flood chaos

Streets in Colombo have been covered by as much as a metre of water.

COLOMBO // Sri Lankan officials are working on a strategy to stop major flooding after government troops were deployed to rescue thousands of people who were left stranded in some of the worst rains in recent memory. At least 28 people have died, more than 500,000 have been left homeless and more than 2,000 homes were either destroyed or damaged across the island. Thirteen of the island's 25 districts were affected by the floods.

Officials in the capital are calling for urgent action to be taken to avoid more deaths and injuries, as well as damage to infrastructure. Omar Kamil, the special commissioner at the Colombo Municipal Council, said the flooding was exacerbated by the outdated stormwaters drains that were built during British colonial times, 80 years ago. "They are badly in need of repair and reconstruction," he said, adding that canals are also clogged with rubbish and other muck that slows down the natural flow to the sea.

Gamini Hettiarachchi, the director general at the Disaster Management Centre, said the government is working on a master plan to avert another catastrophe. "Essentially we need to identify the blockages and ensure the smooth flow of water to the sea. Another issue is cleaning the canals and also moving out squatters on canal banks and rivers," he said. Prevention of landslides during rainy weather in hilly parts of the country was also being looked into.

Meteorologists said the freak thunderstorms that caused the recent flooding lashed mostly coastal areas and some parts inland were pre-monsoonal rains triggered by cyclone Laila, which was active in the Bay of Bengal. A spokesperson for the meteorology department said 313.6mm of rain fell in 24 hours in the Nittambuwa area, about 40km north of Colombo, during the heavy rains last week. Streets in the capital were said to be covered by more than a metre of water, according to news reports.

Soldiers and navy personnel were quickly mobilised to rescue stranded residents after surging waters flooded their homes, and naval boats were brought in as part of the rescue operation. Soldiers were also helping hundreds of motorists whose vehicles were stuck in the floods. Sri Lanka's parliament also abandoned session for a day last week because of the flooding. Officials have not yet placed a monetary figure on the damages or cost to rebuild.

The crisis comes just before Colombo hosts the three-day International Indian Academy Awards awards on June 4. The city had been undergoing one of its biggest clean-ups, paving roads and beautifying roundabouts as it prepared to welcome a host of Bollywood's biggest stars. The awards ceremony has moved from one country to another since the early 2000s and Colombo was excited to be host this year, hoping it could revive tourism after the end of the bitter civil war last year.

The event is expected to draw some 2,000 visitors from India and other parts of the world. "We were planning to complete the renovations of roads and roundabouts by May 20 but the rains have delayed the process by at least 10 days," Mr Kamil said. At the indoor stadium where the awards ceremony is being held, the navy was busy dredging a nearby canal to allow floodwaters to flow into the sea. The ceremony is expected to go on as planned.

In recent years, Colombo has seen flooding even with the slightest downpour. Poor quality drains and storm-water passages clogged by polythene bags and rubbish are generally blamed. Construction on water retention areas and marshes around the city has also been the cause of the flooding, Mr Kamil said. Last year, the Supreme Court ordered the government to take back a golf course and country club that had been built on a marsh and a protected water retention area just outside the capital. The land had been sold to a private developer without proper authorisation.

"We need more water retention areas or some of the former water retention land must be restored for this purpose," Mr Kamil said, adding that no alternate sources to store rain water are in place when retention areas are developed. Last week, Mahinda Rajapaksa, the Sri Lankan president, has ordered the construction of three new ponds or lakes in the city as water retention centres. [e-mail]