COLOMBO // Sri Lankan officials are working on a strategy to stop major flooding after government troops were deployed to rescue thousands of people who were left stranded in some of the worst rains in recent memory.
At least 28 people have died, more than 500,000 have been left homeless and more than 2,000 homes were either destroyed or damaged across the island. Thirteen of the island's 25 districts were affected by the floods.
Officials in the capital are calling for urgent action to be taken to avoid more deaths and injuries, as well as damage to infrastructure.
Omar Kamil, the special commissioner at the Colombo Municipal Council, said the flooding was exacerbated by the outdated stormwaters drains that were built during British colonial times, 80 years ago.
"They are badly in need of repair and reconstruction," he said, adding that canals are also clogged with rubbish and other muck that slows down the natural flow to the sea.
Gamini Hettiarachchi, the director general at the Disaster Management Centre, said the government is working on a master plan to avert another catastrophe.
"Essentially we need to identify the blockages and ensure the smooth flow of water to the sea. Another issue is cleaning the canals and also moving out squatters on canal banks and rivers," he said.
Prevention of landslides during rainy weather in hilly parts of the country was also being looked into.
Meteorologists said the freak thunderstorms that caused the recent flooding lashed mostly coastal areas and some parts inland were pre-monsoonal rains triggered by cyclone Laila, which was active in the Bay of Bengal.
A spokesperson for the meteorology department said 313.6mm of rain fell in 24 hours in the Nittambuwa area, about 40km north of Colombo, during the heavy rains last week. Streets in the capital were said to be covered by more than a metre of water, according to news reports.
Soldiers and navy personnel were quickly mobilised to rescue stranded residents after surging waters flooded their homes, and naval boats were brought in as part of the rescue operation. Soldiers were also helping hundreds of motorists whose vehicles were stuck in the floods.
Sri Lanka's parliament also abandoned session for a day last week because of the flooding.
Officials have not yet placed a monetary figure on the damages or cost to rebuild.
The crisis comes just before Colombo hosts the three-day International Indian Academy Awards awards on June 4. The city had been undergoing one of its biggest clean-ups, paving roads and beautifying roundabouts as it prepared to welcome a host of Bollywood's biggest stars. The awards ceremony has moved from one country to another since the early 2000s and Colombo was excited to be host this year, hoping it could revive tourism after the end of the bitter civil war last year.
The event is expected to draw some 2,000 visitors from India and other parts of the world.
"We were planning to complete the renovations of roads and roundabouts by May 20 but the rains have delayed the process by at least 10 days," Mr Kamil said. At the indoor stadium where the awards ceremony is being held, the navy was busy dredging a nearby canal to allow floodwaters to flow into the sea.
The ceremony is expected to go on as planned.
In recent years, Colombo has seen flooding even with the slightest downpour. Poor quality drains and storm-water passages clogged by polythene bags and rubbish are generally blamed.
Construction on water retention areas and marshes around the city has also been the cause of the flooding, Mr Kamil said.
Last year, the Supreme Court ordered the government to take back a golf course and country club that had been built on a marsh and a protected water retention area just outside the capital. The land had been sold to a private developer without proper authorisation.
"We need more water retention areas or some of the former water retention land must be restored for this purpose," Mr Kamil said, adding that no alternate sources to store rain water are in place when retention areas are developed.
Last week, Mahinda Rajapaksa, the Sri Lankan president, has ordered the construction of three new ponds or lakes in the city as water retention centres.
foreign.desk@thenational.ae
Countdown to Zero exhibition will show how disease can be beaten
Countdown to Zero: Defeating Disease, an international multimedia exhibition created by the American Museum of National History in collaboration with The Carter Center, will open in Abu Dhabi a month before Reaching the Last Mile.
Opening on October 15 and running until November 15, the free exhibition opens at The Galleria mall on Al Maryah Island, and has already been seen at the Jimmy Carter Presidential Library and Museum in Atlanta, the American Museum of Natural History in New York, and the London School of Hygiene and Tropical Medicine.
Brief scores:
Toss: Northern Warriors, elected to field first
Bengal Tigers 130-1 (10 ov)
Roy 60 not out, Rutherford 47 not out
Northern Warriors 94-7 (10 ov)
Simmons 44; Yamin 4-4
If you go
The flights
Emirates flies from Dubai to Funchal via Lisbon, with a connecting flight with Air Portugal. Economy class returns cost from Dh3,845 return including taxes.
The trip
The WalkMe app can be downloaded from the usual sources. If you don’t fancy doing the trip yourself, then Explore offers an eight-day levada trails tour from Dh3,050, not including flights.
The hotel
There isn’t another hotel anywhere in Madeira that matches the history and luxury of the Belmond Reid's Palace in Funchal. Doubles from Dh1,400 per night including taxes.
How to protect yourself when air quality drops
Install an air filter in your home.
Close your windows and turn on the AC.
Shower or bath after being outside.
Wear a face mask.
Stay indoors when conditions are particularly poor.
If driving, turn your engine off when stationary.
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Engine: 3.6 V6
Transmission: 8-speed auto
Power: 295bhp
Torque: 353Nm
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The specs
Engine: Dual 180kW and 300kW front and rear motors
Power: 480kW
Torque: 850Nm
Transmission: Single-speed automatic
Price: From Dh359,900 ($98,000)
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THE SPECS
Touareg Highline
Engine: 3.0-litre, V6
Transmission: 8-speed automatic
Power: 340hp
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Stree
Producer: Maddock Films, Jio Movies
Director: Amar Kaushik
Cast: Rajkummar Rao, Shraddha Kapoor, Pankaj Tripathi, Aparshakti Khurana, Abhishek Banerjee
Rating: 3.5
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COMPANY PROFILE
● Company: Bidzi
● Started: 2024
● Founders: Akshay Dosaj and Asif Rashid
● Based: Dubai, UAE
● Industry: M&A
● Funding size: Bootstrapped
● No of employees: Nine
Second ODI
England 322-7 (50 ovs)
India 236 (50 ovs)
England win by 86 runs
Next match: Tuesday, July 17, Headingley
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If you go…
Emirates launched a new daily service to Mexico City this week, flying via Barcelona from Dh3,995.
Emirati citizens are among 67 nationalities who do not require a visa to Mexico. Entry is granted on arrival for stays of up to 180 days.
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Engine: 5.2-litre twin-turbo V12
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Power: 715bhp
Torque: 900Nm
Price: Dh1,289,376
On sale: now
UPI facts
More than 2.2 million Indian tourists arrived in UAE in 2023
More than 3.5 million Indians reside in UAE
Indian tourists can make purchases in UAE using rupee accounts in India through QR-code-based UPI real-time payment systems
Indian residents in UAE can use their non-resident NRO and NRE accounts held in Indian banks linked to a UAE mobile number for UPI transactions
The biog
Born: near Sialkot, Pakistan, 1981
Profession: Driver
Family: wife, son (11), daughter (8)
Favourite drink: chai karak
Favourite place in Dubai: The neighbourhood of Khawaneej. “When I see the old houses over there, near the date palms, I can be reminded of my old times. If I don’t go down I cannot recall my old times.”
The specs
Engine: 4.0-litre, six-cylinder
Transmission: six-speed manual
Power: 395bhp
Torque: 420Nm
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The stats
Ship name: MSC Bellissima
Ship class: Meraviglia Class
Delivery date: February 27, 2019
Gross tonnage: 171,598 GT
Passenger capacity: 5,686
Crew members: 1,536
Number of cabins: 2,217
Length: 315.3 metres
Maximum speed: 22.7 knots (42kph)
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Yemen's Bahais and the charges they often face
The Baha'i faith was made known in Yemen in the 19th century, first introduced by an Iranian man named Ali Muhammad Al Shirazi, considered the Herald of the Baha'i faith in 1844.
The Baha'i faith has had a growing number of followers in recent years despite persecution in Yemen and Iran.
Today, some 2,000 Baha'is reside in Yemen, according to Insaf.
"The 24 defendants represented by the House of Justice, which has intelligence outfits from the uS and the UK working to carry out an espionage scheme in Yemen under the guise of religion.. aimed to impant and found the Bahai sect on Yemeni soil by bringing foreign Bahais from abroad and homing them in Yemen," the charge sheet said.
Baha'Ullah, the founder of the Bahai faith, was exiled by the Ottoman Empire in 1868 from Iran to what is now Israel. Now, the Bahai faith's highest governing body, known as the Universal House of Justice, is based in the Israeli city of Haifa, which the Bahais turn towards during prayer.
The Houthis cite this as collective "evidence" of Bahai "links" to Israel - which the Houthis consider their enemy.
Zidane's managerial achievements
La Liga: 2016/17
Spanish Super Cup: 2017
Uefa Champions League: 2015/16, 2016/17, 2017/18
Uefa Super Cup: 2016, 2017
Fifa Club World Cup: 2016, 2017
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Engine: 1.5-litre 4-cylinder petrol
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Torque: 250Nm
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England v South Africa schedule:
- First Test: At Lord's, England won by 219 runs
- Second Test: July 14-18, Trent Bridge, Nottingham, 2pm
- Third Test: The Oval, London, July 27-31, 2pm
- Fourth Test: Old Trafford, Manchester, August 4-8
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Asia Cup 2018 Qualifier
Sunday's results:
- UAE beat Malaysia by eight wickets
- Nepal beat Singapore by four wickets
- Oman v Hong Kong, no result
Tuesday fixtures:
- Malaysia v Singapore
- UAE v Oman
- Nepal v Hong Kong