215 Major Landslides Strike Sri Lanka in Three Days

 The National Building Research Organisation (NBRO) reveals that approximately 215 serious landslides have occurred in Sri Lanka within three days due to the impact of Cyclone 'Ditwa'. Analyzing satellite images obtained during the past three days – the 28th, 29th, and 30th – these landslide conditions were observed in the districts of Badulla, Kandy, Matale, Nuwara Eliya, Kegalle, Kurunegala, and Monaragala, stated Mr. Laksiri Indratilaka, a Senior Geologist at the organization.

The geologist pointed out that in addition to large-scale landslides causing loss of life and property damage, thousands of various disaster incidents have been reported along roads and in villages. He mentioned that among the reported disasters were numerous incidents such as collapsing embankments behind houses, road-side embankment failures, and slope instabilities.

In the face of this disaster, some isolated villages have been completely engulfed by landslides, and even the access roads to these areas have been destroyed. Mr. Indratilaka emphasized that it would take a significant amount of time to restore the affected locations, and the period for life to return to normalcy could vary depending on the nature of the damage in each province.

As there is some difficulty in identifying small-scale landslides through satellite imagery technology, the National Building Research Organisation has already deployed a special team of 55 personnel to conduct field inspections and observations at various locations.