Chinese enterprises in Sri Lanka have provided donations and relief materials to victims affected by the devastating floods and landslides which killed 202 people and affected over 600,000.
A statement on Wednesday said that the Sri Lanka Gampaha, Attanagalla and Minuwangoda Integrated Water Supply Project team, a subsidiary of China Machinery and Equipment Engineering Co., Ltd.(CMEC),had on Tuesday donated relief materials to a flooded village near capital Colombo, to help victims through their difficulties and rebuild their homes.
Yang Wei, the site project manager of Attanagalla water plant said that his staff had donated a truck load of relief supplies, including food and daily necessities to the affected villagers in Yabaraluwa, in western Sri Lanka.
Wei said that CMEC had been actively fulfilling the corporate social responsibility of the local community and following the devastating disaster. CMEC had purchased immediate relief supplies to distribute among the victims.
"CMEC will make every effort to participate in the disaster relief, and work together with the Sri Lankan people to tide over this crisis," Wei said.
CMEC had provided timely help, and provided materials for the resettlement of the villagers. This is the first-time villagers received donations from a foreign country following the disaster, R.M.K.C Rathnayake, the head of Yabaraluwa village said.
"Thanks to the relief provided by CMEC, we will soon be able to get back to our normal livelihoods. China is a true friend of Sri Lanka," Rathnayake added.
The Yabaraluwa village is located about 20 km east of Colombo, near the fourth longest river in Sri Lanka - the Kelani River.
Among the 750 houses in the village, an estimated 350 houses were damaged by the floods while more than 1,500 people were affected.
On Tuesday, more than 80 families received relief materials from CMEC.
At least 202 people have been killed and 96 people are still missing following severe rains which caused major floods and landslides in Sri Lanka since Friday.
The Disaster Management Center said that several districts especially in the southern province had been flooded and rescue missions were ongoing even into Wednesday.
The floods were the worst to hit the island country since 2003.
To assist Sri Lanka in this hour of grief, the Chinese government on May 28 announced that it would provide emergency humanitarian aid worth 15 million RMB (2.2 million U.S. dollars), which would include tents, blankets and other relief supplies to be distributed to those affected.
Sri Lanka's Minister of Foreign Affairs Ravi Karunanayake expressed his gratitude at the donation and aid.
The Chinese Embassy in Sri Lanka also handed over 15 million rupees (about 100,000 U.S. dollars) to the Sri Lanka Red Cross on Tuesday which was donated by the Chinese Red Cross.
The China International Rescue Team told reporters that China Red Cross was deploying to send a rescue team to Sri Lanka to assist in the affected areas.
The rescue teams successfully helped in rescue work during the flood disaster which hit Sri Lanka last year.
