The flood warning covering eight districts of the lower delta was lifted, after river gauges recorded a third consecutive day of falling levels and the meteorological service forecast no significant rainfall for the coming week.
The alert had been in place for eleven days. At its peak it covered close to forty thousand residents, with temporary shelters opened in four district centres and livestock moved to higher ground across the flood plain.
Roads and services
Most main routes have reopened, but several secondary roads remain closed to heavy vehicles while engineers assess embankment damage. The provincial roads authority said inspections of eighteen bridge crossings would be completed before restrictions are withdrawn.
Power has been restored to all but two of the affected settlements. The distribution company attributed the remaining outages to damaged underground sections that require excavation once ground conditions allow.
We are past the emergency phase. What follows is the slower work of assessing what the water actually did to the embankments.
Agricultural officers have begun surveying crop losses, concentrating on the rice and sugarcane belts where standing water persisted longest. An initial assessment is expected within two weeks, and will determine eligibility for the compensation scheme announced during the emergency.
Health teams remain deployed in the worst affected districts, with attention on water quality and the risk of vector borne illness in the weeks after standing water clears. Testing of village wells is scheduled to continue through the month.
