There is currently no risk of flooding anywhere in the country after rainfall eased across Sri Lanka, the Irrigation Department said on Tuesday morning.
Engineer L.S. Sooriyabandara, Director of the department’s Hydrology and Disaster Management Division, said the heaviest rain over the previous 24 hours fell in the upper catchment areas of the Kalu and Mahaweli rivers, at close to 20 millimetres.
Rain was recorded on Monday in the Galle, Matara, Kandy and Nuwara Eliya districts and across the Western, North Western and Sabaragamuwa provinces, but those falls stayed below 10 millimetres. The department said rainfall elsewhere on the island was also under 10 millimetres.
The drop in rainfall has prevented any rapid rise in river levels, Sooriyabandara said, and no flood threat has emerged.
The assessment draws a line under a difficult week in the wet zone. Sustained rain over the Western, Sabaragamuwa and central districts had pushed the Castlereagh and Maussakelle reservoirs to within a few feet of spilling on Monday and produced repeated advisories for falls above 75 mm.
Showers again after 2 p.m.
The Department of Meteorology expects showers at times on Tuesday in Sabaragamuwa province and in the Kandy, Nuwara Eliya, Galle and Matara districts, according to Ada Derana and Hiru News.
Several spells of showers may occur in the Western and North Western provinces.
Showers or thundershowers are possible at a few places in the Uva and Eastern provinces and in the Mullaitivu district after 2.00 p.m.
The department asked the public to take precautions against the temporary localised strong winds and lightning that can accompany thundershowers.
Forecasters said on Sunday that rain over the southwest should ease gradually after August 15, while dry-zone districts wait for rain that is not expected before October.
