All necessary preparations have been put in place to respond to any potential disaster situations, according to Disaster Management Centre (DMC) Director Pradeep Kodippili.
Meanwhile, the Department of Meteorology said a low-pressure area in the southeastern Bay of Bengal is likely to intensify into a depression within the next 24 hours and is expected to move westward towards Sri Lanka’s eastern coast.
As a result, rainfall is forecast to increase from Thursday (08) in the Northern, North Central, Eastern, Uva and Central Provinces. The Department warned that heavy showers exceeding 50 mm could occur in parts of the Uva Province and in the Batticaloa, Ampara, Polonnaruwa and Matale districts.
Strong winds of up to around 50 km/h are also expected at times over the eastern slopes of the central hills, as well as in the Northern, North Central, North Western and Eastern Provinces, and in the Hambantota, Gampaha, Colombo and Monaragala districts.
Meanwhile, the National Building Research Organisation (NBRO) has issued red landslide warnings for several areas in the Kandy and Nuwara Eliya districts. Landslide early warnings have also been issued for the Badulla, Matale and Monaragala districts.
