Sri Lanka targets unauthorized builders after monsoon deaths
COLOMBO, June 3: - Sri Lanka announced plans Saturday to prosecute a slew of companies and individuals behind illegal construction projects blamed for landslides and flooding that have killed at least 211 people following heavy monsoon rains last week.
COLOMBO, June 3: - Sri Lanka announced plans Saturday to prosecute a slew of companies and individuals behind illegal construction projects blamed for landslides and flooding that have killed at least 211 people following heavy monsoon rains last week.
The
urban development ministry said they would press criminal charges against those
illegally occupying marshlands earmarked to absorb flood waters and structures
blocking canals and storm drains.
"Much
of the destruction was due to people building on mountain slopes after cutting
down trees and blocking waterways," a ministry spokesperson said.
Prosecutors will kick off proceedings Monday in Colombo against 18 individuals
and companies, he said, as authorities prepare to launch a nationwide campaign
to remove illegal structures.
There
are some 10,000 unauthorised structures in the capital alone, according to the spokesperson.
Decades of illegal construction have worsened the flooding by blocking drains
and eliminating natural rainwater stores, including marshland.
The
official Disaster Management Centre (DMC) said the death toll from last week's
rains that triggered landslides and flooding rose to 211 after more bodies were
discovered under tonnes of mud.
Among
those killed were 45 school children. Over 90 people were still listed as
missing while another 72 remained in hospital. Nearly 2,000 homes were
destroyed and over 10,000 suffered structural damage reported the DMC.
The
centre said the situation across the country had improved but thousands of
security personnel were still assisting in relief and recovery operations. The
flooding is the worst since May 2003 when 250 people were killed and 10,000
homes destroyed after a similarly powerful monsoon, officials said. Monsoon
rains last year also caused flooding and landslides, killing more than 100
people.
0 Comments
Post a Comment