Spill water floods Muttur villages, 3000 families left in the lurch

[TamilNet, Tuesday, 21 December 2004, 00:46 GMT]
About twenty Tamil villages in Eachchilampathu division in Muttur area are under water since December 19 following the opening of sluice gates of two major irrigation tanks -Kantalai in Trincomalee district and Minneriya in Pollonnorawa district, which are in full capacity. Irrigation authorities have opened the sluice gates of these two tanks to avoid breach to them following heavy rain and excess water flowing from Mahaweli ganga to these tanks. About three thousand families have been displaced, as their wattle and daub houses were washed away or damaged by the spill water.


Road that leads to a village flooded

Volunteers donate relief materials to Verugal Divisional Secretary Mr.A.Umamaheswaran

Unloading relief food material from a lorry in flood water in Verugal area

Road that leads to a village flooded

A scene in a village surrounded by flood

Flooded road

Walking through the flooded road

Majority of the rural roads in these villages have also been washed away, civil sources said.

A group of volunteers from Socio-Economic Development Organization of Trincomalee (SEDOT) and AHAM rushed with the relief materials bought from the fund released by the Canada -Trincomalee Welfare Association ( CTWA ) to these villages by motor launch from Trincomalee Monday morning. On representation made by Trincomalee district parliamentarian Mr.R.Sampanthan, Trincomalee Government Agent Mr.Gamini Rodrigo took immediate steps to transport relief materials by motor launch to Muttur as the land route from Trincomalee to Muttur via Kantalai and Allai has been cut off from the mainland.

Verugal, Vaddavan, Valaithoddam, Muttuchenai, Veeranagar, Kallady, Punnaiyady, Ilankaithurai, Vinayagapuram, Karukkamunai, Upporal, Verugal Muhathuwaram, Malaimunthal, Ilankathurai Muhathuwaram and Sooranagar. About three thousand families have been marooned in these villages surrounding floodwater, volunteers said.

One of the volunteers who returned Monday evening by motor launch from Muttur after the distribution of relief goods to the victims told Tamilnet that displaced villagers rendered homeless are seen cooking and sleeping on high lands close to these roads. No relief has been sent to these victims as transport facilities to their villagers have been cut off from the mainland.

Victims said that this is the first time in more than several decades their villages have gone under water due to the release of spill water from these tanks.