The Government has approached the United Nations in Geneva for US$ 27.5 mn rnin short term relief to rebuild houses and infrastructure damaged in recent floods.
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rnA full scale flood damage assessment is currently underway by the Asian Development Bank (ADB), Minister Karu Jayasuriya said Thursday. rn
rnldblquote We have already Rs. 100 mn in hand through donations and UN assistance amounting to US$ 2 mn
dblquote , Jayasuriya said.
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rnReconstruction work on the first schools will begin this Saturday, with the government estimating that Rs. 228 mn would be needed to rebuild education infrastructure alone.
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rnAbout 150 schools were damaged in the worst flooding in over fifty years that swept through Southern districts of the country, affecting some 106,000 students.rn
rnThe Government is also bringing in legislation to move people away from areas prone to land slides and prevent their return, Jayasuriya saysrn
rnIn Ratnapura alone geologists have identified 300 locations, which are susce