18th May 2023 22:37:13 Hours
Troops of the 3 (V) Battalion Gemunu Watch (GW) provided cooked meals to the flood-affected people in the Porupitiya Grama Niladari Division in the Kotapola Divisional Secretariat in the Matara District on Sunday (14 May) under the supervision of the Brigade Commander of the 613 Infantry Brigade and the General Officer Commanding, 61 Infantry Division of the Security Forces HQ-West.
The relief work continued on the following day too (15 May) as gushing waters and flood levels began rising. 12 Army personnel including 2 Officers along with a truck and a tractor were deployed to facilitate transportation of the hospital staff and patients who were unable to move into their residences and perform their duty roles in the same area.
Several places along the Kamburupitiya-Mulatiyana road in Kamburupitiya Divisional Secretariat meanwhile remained inundated and troops promptly responded to a request of the Director, Kamburupitiya Base Hospital for help from the Commander, 613 Infantry Brigade. Accordingly, patients who could not return to their residences after medical treatment were facilitated in Army trucks and tractors.
The floods demanded more attention as mourners in a funeral house were compelled to seek Army help for transportation of the coffin to the cemetery since Andapana-Kalugedara area came under water. To address this need, an Army truck and a tractor were deployed from the 613 Infantry Brigade, along with 10 soldiers who finally managed to take the dead body to the cemetery with a limited number of attendees.
In addition, troops from the 12 Battalion of the Sri Lanka Sinha Regiment were deployed along with a boat to transport the dead body of an 85-year-old male resident who had passed away due to natural causes in Korabuwana Ransagoda area in Pahala Kade Korabuwana. Troops after taking the remains enabled the relatives to hold final religious rites in the cemetery.
Furthermore, a person residing in the Adoluwa of Mawarala Police area of the Pasgoda Divisional Secretariat had reportedly gone missing due to rising flood levels in the area. To search for the said missing person, one Officer and 15 Other Ranks from 3 (v) Battalion Gemunu Watch were deployed for search and rescue in the morning hours on 15 May 2023.
In the meantime, as water level was about to overflow from the B13 dam on the Kadduwa-Kamburapitiya road in the Malimbada Divisional Secretariat of the Matara district, 20 troops from 3 (v) Battalion Gemunu Watch placed sandbags along the B13 dam on 15 May 2023 following a request made to that effect by the Matara District Secretariat before it caused a flood disaster plus a heavy leakage.
Commander, SF-West, 61 Infantry Division's General Officer Commanding, 613 Infantry Brigade Commander and respective Commanding Officers closely supervised those emergency operations and instructed the troops.
