Thousands displaced, stranded by floods in Vanni

[TamilNet, Wednesday, 21 December 2011, 15:05 GMT]
More than twelve thousand people earlier uprooted during the war and later allowed to resettle but forced to reside in temporary huts as they were not provided with government assistance to construct news houses, are now seeking refuge in temporary transit camps due to flood caused by torrential rain with gale that is continuing since last week in Vanni region in the Northern Province. The civil authorities have come over a new challenge this year as they lack buildings in Vadamaraadchi East and the remaining areas of Vanni to even house the people temporarily.

In Jaffna alone about 11,487 persons of 3,547 families were affected by flood, according to Jaffna district secretariat sources. Of them 8,384 persons from 2,728 families are from Vadamaradchchi East DS division.

The number of affected persons by floods is on the increase. Accommodating displaced by flood has become big problem as all public buildings in the division had been badly destroyed and damaged in the war, civil sources said.

A section of the people in Vanni is sheltered in welfare centres.

All irrigation tanks in Vanni regions are affected due to inclement weather as they were not maintained properly for the last fifty years. Hence most of the irrigation tanks face imminent breach of bunds.

Several areas in Jaffna and Pomaive'li and in Vadamaraadchchi East are under water due to heavy rain.

Almost all the people affected by heavy rain and floods are sheltered in tent huts.

They fear that their belongings could be washed away by flash floods as heavy rain is continuing.

Meanwhile six Tamil Nadu fishermen rescued Tuesday by the Sri Lanka Navy near Nadun-theevu while they were caught up in the storm in mid sea were handed over to the Sri Lankan police the same day evening.

All the six fishermen from Naakappaddinam coastal village in Tamil Nadu are to be produced in court. The fishermen, who say their boat had capsized in storm in the mid sea are Veerapa Kalyanaraman, 26, Parasurman Sivakumar,27,Kunchupillai Manibarathi,21,Krishnan Perumal,28, Sellapapu Sellakumar,20, and Kuttiandy Arasakumar,21.

Some sources say more Tamil Nadu fishermen could have reached Mannaar coastal area due to bad weather.