Residents in the Nanattan Divisional Secretariat Division of Mannar have raised serious concerns over what they describe as inadequate and inconsistent delivery of cooked meals, despite official assurances that emergency food supplies would reach all those displaced by severe flooding across the district.
As torrential rain and rising water levels continue to isolate communities, cooked meals are being delivered with the assistance of the Sri Lankan Navy to residents unable to leave their homes or temporary shelters. District authorities say response efforts are being coordinated under the direction of the Mannar Government Agent, with Disaster Management Centre officials, Divisional Secretaries, Grama Niladharis and other state departments working around the clock. Police, army, navy and air force personnel have also been deployed across the district.
However, affected families in Nanattan report that they have yet to receive sufficient meals, accusing local officials of failing to ensure fair and timely distribution. They have urged the Nanattan Divisional Secretary and area Grama Niladharis to take immediate action to deliver cooked meals to those stranded by the floods, especially as heavy rain resumed on Monday morning.
While some parts of Mannar struggle with shortages, other areas remain entirely cut off. In Kunjukulam, where residents have been isolated for three consecutive days, dry food and medical supplies had to be airlifted by the Sri Lankan Air Force. The consignment was dispatched under the supervision of Mannar Disaster Management Centre Assistant Director K. Thileepan, alongside MP Jagatheeswaran, Assistant Government Agent M. Pradeep and additional staff.
Officials said that 133 people from 304 families in Kunjukulam and Matha remain displaced, taking refuge in schools, temples and public halls. With road access completely severed by floods, the airlift was the only way to deliver urgently needed supplies.
Across Mannar, emergency teams continue rapid-response operations, but frustrations are growing among residents who say relief is not reaching them evenly.
