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As Cyclone Ditvaha unleashed powerful winds and torrential rains, causing Sri Lanka’s worst flooding in 10 years when it made landfall in the central highlands on Friday, rescue efforts are still underway to clear blocked roads and deliver aid to more than half a million people affected.
As of 12 noon on Monday, the death toll stood at 340 and 370 people were missing. More than 1 million people in more than 300,000 families have been affected.
Here’s what eyewitnesses said
In villages on the northern outskirts of Colombo, flooding is a familiar challenge, but even experienced residents were surprised by the sudden and dramatic rise of the Kelani River.
Delivery driver Dinusha Sanjay said he ignored early warnings, expecting only a few feet of water. Instead, within an hour, their two-storey house was completely submerged in water.
“I never thought the floods would be so bad,” Sanjay, 37, told AFP at Vidyavardhana School. Where all his neighbors were also taking shelter on Monday.
For Nirushika, a 44-year-old seamstress, the floods have taken away her livelihood.
“I earned a living by running a small sewing business,” she said. “I lost both my sewing machines.”
Opposition party walked out of Parliament
Sri Lanka’s main opposition party, the SJB, walked out of Parliament on Monday to protest against the government’s refusal to extend the sitting period for debate following Cyclone Ditvaha, which has killed more than 300 people.
Kabir Hashim of Samagi Jana Balavegaya said the party wanted to formally highlight the government’s inadequate preparations, despite warnings of severe weather coming to the island.
The National People’s Power (NPP) government said the opposition was free to speak till 12.30 pm as the House was scheduled to end early in view of the disaster relief coordination work.
“We need more time to express our views on where the government has failed, with preparations we could have prevented a lot of damage,” Hashim said, according to a PTI report.
House leader Bimal Ratnayaka said the government was open to criticism and ideas on its handling of the crisis and urged the opposition to utilize the time allotted till 12.30 pm.
About 148,000 people have been put in temporary shelters in the mainly tea-growing central hill country after torrential rains last week flooded homes, farms and roads and caused landslides.
India’s ‘Operation Sagar Bandhu’
India launched ‘Operation Sagar Bandhu’ to assist Sri Lanka after the devastation caused by Cyclone Ditvaha. Acting swiftly, India has helped its neighbor with HADR operations, rescue and relief to provide aid and assistance to the country.
Under Operation Sagar Bandhu, another Indian Air Force aircraft carrying disaster response supplies landed in Colombo on Sunday, External Affairs Minister S Jaishankar said on Sunday.
The Indian Air Force on Sunday said that under Operation Sagar Bandhu, IAF C-17 airlifted NDRF teams and equipment from Pune. The ongoing operation has taken advantage of domestic support operations.
India launched ‘Operation Sagar Bandhu’ to assist Sri Lanka after the devastation caused by Cyclone Ditvaha. The Indian Air Force airlifted 21 tonnes of relief material to Colombo along with over 80 NDRF personnel and 8 tonnes of equipment to assist people affected by the severe floods.
The scale and pace of these missions underlines India’s strong commitment to assist Sri Lanka in its hour of need, as the Indian Air Force provides swift, coordinated and compassionate HADR support in challenging circumstances.
Heavy rain continues in Tamil Nadu
Several parts of Tamil Nadu, including Chennai, Tiruvallur, Kanchipuram, Cuddalore and Ranipet, continued to receive moderate rainfall on Monday due to the remnants of Cyclonic Storm Ditvaah that formed near the Tamil Nadu-Puducherry coasts.
Earlier on Sunday, three people had died in rain-related incidents in three districts of the state.
Meanwhile, the IMD predicted that the system, which has weakened into a deep depression, will weaken further and may cause rainfall due to remnants.
The IMD said it is likely to remain stable as a weak system for the next 24 hours.
Ten flights from here were canceled due to incessant rains, which led to waterlogging in many areas and affected districts, Tamil Nadu Chief Minister MK Stalin held a meeting with collectors and took stock of the situation arising due to the impact of the cyclone.
From November 29 till today, about 20 trees that fell or were uprooted due to the cyclone were removed in Chennai. A GCC release said a total of 32,500 meals were provided on November 30, while 83,600 were served today.
Private weather bloggers claimed that the intensity of rain in Chennai is likely to increase as streaks of intense rain are moving into the city from the north. According to PTI report, the cloud accumulation was now close to the TN coast, with the bulk of the cold front moving towards the Chennai belt.
(with inputs from agencies)
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