By Poornima Ravishan Wijemanne
Two more deaths have been reported in Kalutara following flashfloods, bringing the death toll in Kalutara to 17 and the overall floods death toll to 25.

“The low lands are still flooded and the Kalutara-Horana main road is still impassable, but we expect the water to completely recede by tomorrow,” the Kalutara Government Agent S. Hapuarachchi, said yesterday.

Speaking about the progress of the aid effort by the government, Disaster Management Minister Mahinda Samarasinghe said that government had been successful in its aid effort, with additional help from the United Nations (UN).

“In addition to the Rs.100 the government is spending per person daily on dry rations, we have received 200 metric tonnes of dry rations from the UN,” Samarasinghe said.

He further said that an inter-agency team comprising the World Food Programme, UN Office for the Coordination of Humanitarian Affairs, UN Development Programme, World Health Organisation and UN Human Rights Council had met the government agents in the flood hit areas to discuss the needs of the people.

“My Ministry is coordinating matters with the UN. The officials will meet me tomorrow (9) with an assessment report and then we’ll decide on how the UN can help us. The challenge we are facing right now is the rehabilitation of the livelihoods of the affected people and rebuilding destroyed houses,” said Samarasinghe.

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