Rain displaced 25,000 in Vavuniya

[TamilNet, Thursday, 07 January 1999, 18:24 GMT]
Twenty five thousand people belonging to 6781 families have been affected in the Vavuniya district by the recent torrential rains and resultant floods, K.Ganesh the Government Agent (GA) in Vavuniya said today.

He said the Vavuniya Divisional areas were the most affected and 3000 families have been displaced.

Vavuniya district had experienced a rain fall of 500 mm during the period of the last two weeks since December 26, he said.

Eight minor irrigation reservoirs were breached and 1000 hectares of paddy fields were destroyed by the heavy showers.

Officials at the Department of Agriculture said that this is one third of the total extension where paddy had been cultivated in the district.

The officials said 1230 hectares of black gram cultivation was also destroyed due to the floods and heavy rains.

Although relief assistance provided by the government is being distributed to some of the flood victims, officials have made requests to non governmental organisations such as Sri Lanka Red Cross Society and World Vision International for additional relief assistance to the displaced people.