Colombo, Jan 19 (IANS): Sri Lankan authorities issued landslide and flood warnings on Sunday, affecting multiple districts and provinces.
The National Building and Research Organization (NBRO) issued landslide warnings, effective until Monday morning for the districts of Badulla, Kandy, Kurunegala and Matale, Xinhua news agency reported.
The irrigation department issued flood warnings for low-lying areas in Eastern and North Central provinces, particularly in the Mahaweli River basin. The warning will remain in effect until Tuesday morning as heavy rainfall continues in the river's catchment areas.
According to the weather department, the north-eastern monsoon was currently active, with rains being expected to persist in the coming days.
The southwest monsoon typically peaks from late May to the beginning of June in Sri Lanka, with prevailing winds from the south and southwest, streaming toward the Bay of Bengal.
The areas that usually receive the heaviest rain are the south and west of the country, including Kalutara, Ratnapura, and Colombo.
The monsoon was anticipated to arrive after 14 May, but owing to below-normal water levels in the region, it was initially not expected to cause severe flooding
In 2017, the Sri Lankan floods resulted from a heavy southwest monsoon, beginning around 18 to 19 May 2017. Flooding was worsened by the arrival of the precursor system to Cyclone Mora, causing flooding and landslides throughout Sri Lanka during the final week of May 2017.
The floods affected 15 districts, killed at least 208 people and left a further 78 people missing. Also, 698,289 people were affected, while 11,056 houses were partially damaged and another 2,093 houses completely destroyed.
Reportedly, about 600,000 people were displaced due to the 2017 floods in the country.
The flooding severely affected Sri Lanka's Western Province, Sabaragamuwa Province, Southern Province and part of Central Province. The worst-affected districts were Kalutara, Matara and Ratnapura.
In Kalutara, flooding of the Kalu River also triggered several mudflows. Agalawatte, a town within Kalutara District, reported 47 deaths and 62 people missing, with many areas made inaccessible by landslides.
The Ratnapura District had recorded 79 deaths.