Depression over Bay of Bengal spells heavy rains for several provinces

The Meteorology Department issued an advisory yesterday (25) for heavy rains in several areas which will be effective until 4.00 pm today, as a result of the low pressure area over the southeast Bay of Bengal.

The low pressure area over the southwest Bay of Bengal intensified into a depression over the central-southwest Bay of Bengal yesterday morning which moved to about 530 km southeast of Trincomalee.

This low pressure area is most likely to move closer to the East coast of the country and intensify into a deep depression during the next 24 hours.

As a result, very heavy rains above 150 mm are likely in the Northern Province and the Trincomalee district.

Heavy showers above 100 mm are also expected in the Northern, North Central, Central and Uva Provinces and the Batticaloa and Ampara districts.

The Naval and fishing communities are advised not to venture to the sea areas around the island until further notice due to the prevailing rough weather. The public has been advised to be vigilant regarding impending extreme weather conditions from yesterday until tomorrow (27).

The National Building Research Organization (NBRO) has issued a landslide warning for the districts of Badulla, Galle, Kegalle, Matara, Nuwara Eliya and Ratnapura for another 24 hours from yesterday.

Accordingly, Haldemulla, Ella and Passara in the Badulla district; Baddegama, Elpitiya and Nagoda in the Galle district; Bulathkohupitiya, Kegalle and Yatiyanthota in the Kegalle district; Pitabeddara in the Matara district; Ambagamuwa in the Nuwara Eliya district; and Imbulpe, Opanayake, Balangoda, Ratnapura, Pelmadulla and Kahawatta in the Ratnapura district have been issued landslide warnings by the NMRA.

The first level warning has also been issued for the divisional secretariats to be alert.

Due to the heavy rains, six sluice gates of the Rajangana reservoir and three sluice gates of the Angamuwa reservoir were opened yesterday. It has been reported that a water capacity of 6,100 cubic feet per second has been released into the Kala Oya from the six sluice gates which have been opened in the Rajangana reservoir. Also, the sluice gates of the Angamuwa reservoir have been opened at two feet each and a water capacity of 1,800 feet per second is released into the Kala Oya.

A total of 15,622 people have been affected due to the heavy rains that have affected the island. The Northern Province has been most affected and the number of affected people in the province is 15,284. The Army and the Disaster Management Units (DMU) have taken steps to direct the affected people to safe places.

Many lowlands in the Polonnaruwa district have also been flooded due to heavy rain and the paddy fields planted in the Maha season are among the flooded areas. Due to the rains, the water levels of all the main reservoirs in Polonnaruwa have risen and the water level of the Parakrama Samudra is currently more than 92,000 acre feet.

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