Sri Lankan authorities are grappling with the paucity of safe drinking water in flood-hit regions; around 200 people have been killed and approximately 600 000 have been displaced from their homes as a result of the flooding.
Authorities have appealed for public assistance to clean up drinking wells that have been contaminated by the worst torrential rains in over 14 years.
According to the Disaster Management Centre (DMC), adverse weather condition have left 112 people injured, around 600 000 displaced and thousands suffering structural damage from flood inundation and landslides.
In total, 545 243 people from142 811 families were affected by the floods when the South-West monsoon unleashed torrential rains, ravaging fourteen districts in the western and southern parts of the country.
According to Rauf Hakeem, Sri Lanka’s water supply minister, around 40% of those affected did not have access to piped drinking water; this meant that there was an extremely urgent need for the contaminated wells in the monsoon flood-affected areas to be cleaned up.
“Our workers have volunteered to join a major clean up,” the minister told reporters in Colombo, adding water distribution stations had also been flooded, disrupting the piped supply.
The disaster has been described as one of the worst-ever calamities since the 2003 floods with around 200 deaths and more than one hundred individuals still missing.
Heavy rain and strong winds have affected many areas, including Puttalam, Trincomalee, Kollonnawa, Kaduwela, Wellampitiya, Kelaniya, Biyagama, Sedawatte, Dompe, Hanwella, Meethotamulla, Padukka and Avissawella, most of which were evacuated.
The DMC requested people to be vigilant on rising water levels, warning: “Showers or thundershowers will occur at times in the Western, Sabaragamuwa, Southern, Central and North-western provinces. Heavy falls (about 150 mm) can be expected at some places.â€
Charities have warned that thousands of people affected by the floods and landslides were at risk of potentially fatal diseases such as dengue fever, as the death toll from the disaster continued to rise.
In response to Sri Lanka’s call for international assistance, India sent two naval ships laden with supplies and Navy diving and medical teams. More countries also pledged assistance to provide relief to the flood victims.
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