by Melani Manel Perera

According to the latest information, 36 people have died and 20 have been injured in the floods. Hundreds of thousands of people have found shelter in temporary relief camps. More than 4,500 homes have been destroyed, with an additional 14,500 partially damaged.

Colombo (AsiaNews) - After more than ten days, torrential rains continue to lash Sri Lanka. In its latest update, the country's Disaster Management Centre (DMC) reported 36 deaths and 20 people injured.

The rising waters have affected 1,113,002 people (39,685 households), especially in the Eastern Province. At present, 115,658 people are in temporary shelters set up by the government. Overall, 4,571 homes were destroyed, whilst an additional 14,511 suffered partial damage.

Damages have been reported in a number of districts, including Mannar, Jaffna, Killinochchi, Vavuniya, Mullaithivu (Northern Province); Kandy, Matale, Nuwara Eliya (Central Province); Kurunegala, Puttalam (North Western); Batticaloa, Ampara, Trincomalee (Eastern Province); Anuradhapura, Polonnaruwa (North Central); Badulla, Monaragala (Uva Province); Kegalle (Sabaragamuwa Province); Gampaha, Colombo (Western Province); and Matara, Hambatota (Southern Province).

In Batticaloa, floods affected more than 493,000 residents with about 29,800 evacuated to 112 relief camps. At least 4,122 homes were destroyed and 8,387 were damaged. In Ampara, more than 288,000 people were hit, with 11,750 moved to 26 relief camps. In Anuradhapura, 20,884 people were affected but only 3,000 found shelter in 26 camps. In Polonnaruwa, 21,717 people found themselves in the same situation, with 7,954 sheltering in some 40 camps.

Meanwhile, water levels are rising in a number of reservoirs, and the Kelani River has reached a critical level.

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