Flash floods cause chaos in Sri Lanka's capital

October 6, 2000
Web posted at: 6:59 PM HKT (1059 GMT)

COLOMBO, Sri Lanka (Reuters) -- Flash floods wreaked havoc in the Sri Lanka capital Colombo on Friday as torrential rains overwhelmed the city's archaic drainage system.

"We've had about 106 mm (four inches) of rain in two and a half hours and that is just too much for the drains," said G.H.P. Dharmaratne, deputy director of the Department of Meteorology.

Traffic was snarled for hours as swirling waters inundated key roads in the city and several fallen trees added to the chaos.

The rains and strong winds disrupted communications and cut power supplies to some parts of Colombo for hours.

The deluge also hit Dehiwala-Mt Lavinia, Colombo's largest suburb, leaving many homes and offices and part of a key hospital under water.

Dharmaratne said his department had issued a warning of more rain to come. No casualties have been reported.

Colombo's streets get flooded in even moderately bad weather. The government has launched a massive programme to revamp the drainage system, much of which dates back over a century.

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