President declares disaster zones high security areas

• Bans land reclamation in the Western Province; even ongoing projects suspended
• Spokesman says move is aimed at preventing looting and checking structural stability of affected houses
• Sets up Environmental Relief Task Force
• Aranayake landslide death toll rises to 40; overall death toll climbs to 94 with 104 still missing: DMC

President Maithripala Sirisena cuddles a child of a family displaced by last week's floods in Colombo suburbs during a visit to a temporary shelter on Sunday

By Dharisha Bastians

As Sri Lanka reels from a week of devastating flash floods and deadly landslides, President Maithripala Sirisena slapped a ban on land reclamation in the Western Province and declared disaster affected regions as ‘high security’ areas until the situation can be normalised.

The President issued the orders during a meeting of the Presidential Task Force appointed to address the emergency situation in the country.

The President set up a special Environmental Relief Task Force to restore suitable living conditions for the affected people and monitor the environment damaged by the recent landslides and floods.

The Task Force to be established ​shall comprise ​officials from the Central Environmental Authority, Disaster Management Authority, Tri Forces, the Police, ​other state and private institutions​ and civil society​ ​as well as ​Divisional and District Secretaries.

Environmentalists have blamed the heavy flooding in the Western Province and especially in the Gampaha District on the filling of marsh lands and flood retention areas to pave the way for construction projects and residential settlements.

A Presidential Spokesman told Daily FT that the land reclamation ban takes effect immediately, with steps even being taken to suspend reclamation projects already under way.

The Spokesman said that the high security areas were not to be confused with High Security Zones established under emergency regulations at war time, but were being declared to prevent looting and sightseeing in flood and landslide hit areas.

The Government is concerned about evacuees from landslide prone areas are returning to their homes too quickly, despite a risk of further mudslides in the same places, the Spokesman said. The designated high security areas will allow the police to patrol freely and prevent crowds flocking to the scenes of disasters to view the damage and as a result, hampering relief and rescue efforts. The Government has also decided to prevent people from returning home to houses that were submerged during the recent flooding in the Colombo and Gampaha Districts, until structural engineers were able to assess the damage and declare the houses liveable, the Presidential Spokesman added.

The Government has sought technical assistance from the UN to carry out these assessments, the spokesman said.

The death toll from landslides in the Kegalle District and flash flooding in the Western Province continues to climb. The Disaster Management Centre in its 6PM situation report yesterday said 94 people had died and 109 were still missing since the disaster struck last week. Military personnel are still digging through mud and debris in Aranayake, where the deadliest landslide last Tuesday (17) is believed to have left more than 100 dead. Army personnel have recovered 40 bodies from the landslide debris so far, with 104 people still missing and believed dead.