UN to call for aid to help Sri Lanka flood victims

The United Nations says it will launch an emergency appeal for funds to help those affected by floods that have ravaged Sri Lanka's east for days.

The United Nations says it will launch an emergency appeal for funds to help those affected by floods that have ravaged Sri Lanka's east for days.

HT Image

With vast rice fields that were ready for harvesting inundated, many have had their livelihoods disrupted.

UN Resident and Humanitarian coordinator Neil Buhne says in a statement that the United Nations will call for millions of dollars in aid to help replant the fields and compensate those who have lost money due to the floods.

As floodwaters slowly receded in the worst-hit Eastern Province, most people remained in temporary shelters on Saturday, though some in Karaithivu village in eastern Ampara district came out for rituals marking the ethnic Tamils' traditional harvest festival.