The police instructed the commuters to stay away from flooded streets and cautioned the motorists to use public transport as the Thursday morning traffic came to a standstill due to several feet of water in the streets.
According to the Disaster Management officials the roads entering the Colombo city at Armour St, GrandPass and Dematagoda are impassable.
The Railway officials said the morning railway services have been halted until the tracks can be cleared from the trees and other debris washed on to the tracks by flash floods.
Sri Lanka Navy has deployed flood relief teams to assist the hundreds of people displaced due to the flash floods, the Ada Derana reported.
The Sri Lankan capital and its suburbs have recorded the highest rainfall in 18 years with 400 millimeters of rain during a period of 12 hours, the Meteorology Department said.
The Department says more thunder showers are in the forecast and flash floods will take time to recede.
The principals of government schools in the Western Province have been authorized to make decisions on whether to continue the schools while all the term tests scheduled for today in those schools have reportedly been postponed.
The power supply in certain areas of the city has been disrupted due to flooding of substations, the Ceylon Electricity Board said.
Sri Lankan capital experienced similar floods in May this year.
The floods in the capital are largely due to the obstruction of smooth flow of rain water in the draining ditches and canals by unauthorized constructions on the sides of the canals and improper bridges and culverts, the government say.
No comments:
Post a Comment