Agenzia Fides

Colombo (Agenzia Fides) - More than 38 thousand people of the north of Sri Lanka have been evacuated because of heavy rains and floods that these days have been hitting on the island. More than 10 thousand families have been displaced in four districts of the northern province, the area most severely affected is the administrative which concerns Kilinochchi, once controlled by the Tamil Tigers. Only in Kilinochchi 14,456 people have been displaced, among them more than 5 000 have been sent to 31 refugee camps. Other districts severly hit are those of Mannar, Jaffna and Mullaitive, which were slowly recovering after 30 years of civil war. To cope with this emergency 41 service centers have been set up, working 24 hours a day in distributing aid. The 33 largest dams in the country risk flooding, and the Irrigation Department has alerted the population living in low areas to control the rising water levels. The National Meteorological Department expects further heavy rain and strong winds in the north and east of the country, due to the intensification of the Northwest monsoon. (AP) (Agenzia Fides 23/12/2011)