Sri Lanka army sends 500 soldiers for flood relief in south

COLOMBO, Oct. 7 (Xinhua) -- Sri Lanka Army has assigned two battalions comprising over 500 soldiers to assist flood relief work in the districts of Galle and Matara in the Southern Province, the Ministry of Defense said on Saturday.

The ministry said in a statement that there was a risk of breaking of the stone embankment built to prevent floods in Matara area due to the bad weather affecting the island country.

The army has established four food distribution centers each at Malimbada, Akuressa, Thihagoda and Matara Fort to provide food and water to the displaced people -- a main challenge in the disaster relief process, the ministry said.

It added that the army's medical teams were prepared to provide necessary support for every regional secretariat with disaster risk in Galle, Matara and Kalutara districts.

The Department of Meteorology said on Saturday that heavy showers above 100 mm are likely to hit parts of Western, Sabaragamuwa and Southern provinces, with the red alert being issued for seven districts in southwestern area of the South Asian country.