The UK hopes to assist the Government and humanitarian agencies address the immediate needs of the people affected by the recent floods, said Mark Gooding, Deputy British High Commissioner.

“I am relieved that the flood situation appears to be improving at the moment, but serious damage has clearly been caused to property, harvest, livelihoods, the mindset of people and above all, to life,” he said.

The UK has so far contributed a total of LKR200 million (USD1.7 million) of aid.

This contribution has been made through the European Community Humanitarian Office (ECHO), the UN Central Emergency Response Fund (CERF) and the Consortium of British Humanitarian Agencies.

Continuous rains in the Eastern, Northern and North Central provinces have triggered a sequence of floods and landslides. More than a million people have been affected in the recent flooding and 100,000 remain in temporary shelters; 60 deaths have been reported since the start of heavy rains in January, stated the British High Commission in Colombo.