Sunday Times (Sri Lanka)

Punishing drought takes heavy toll across Puttalam district

Authoritie­s struggle to provide water to residents, animals die of starvation, dead monkeys on trees

- By Sandun Jayawarden­a Text and Pix by Hiran Priyankara Jayasinghe

While torrential rains this week brought much needed relief to several drought- hit re gions, of f i c i a l s warned that the drought itself is set to continue at least until the beginning of October.

Anuradhapu­ra, Polonnaruw­a, Trincomale­e and Mullaitivu districts all received heavy rainfall over three days this week, resulting in significan­t

The Puttalam district is experienci­ng its worst ever drought in the past four and a half decades – and the residents suffering from its devastatin­g effects lament the Government’s assistance is woefully inadequate.

A Sunday Times investigat­ion found that the drought has affected more than 164,000 people in 14 of the district’s 16 divisions. The Disaster Management Center’s (DMC) Puttalam office has deployed 17 water bowsers to distribute drinking water to the residents, whereas the situation demands at least double that number to meet the drinking water requiremen­t of the residents. According to DMC’s own admission, at least another 19 improvemen­t in some areas affected by drought. The most striking example was in the Trincomale­e district. The Disaster Management Center’s (DMC) statistics issued a week ago on August 5 noted that nearly 141, 000 persons from more than 37, 000 families in the district were affected by the drought. This number has fallen to 36, 000 people from 10, 700 families as of yesterday (August 12). “The rains have significan­tly improved the situation in the Trincomale­e district,” DMC’s Assistant Director Pradeep Kodippili, bowsers are needed.

District Secretary N.M.N. Chitranand­a said the most pressing problem faced by officials engaged in providing drinking water to the affected people was that even the few remaining water sources were fast drying up As such, he said he had instructed divisional secretarie­s to dig wells at the bottom of dried the told the Sunday Times. Mr Kodippili however, warned that there were still no signs that the drought was abating.

The rains “aren’t enough” and besides Trincomale­e, the situation in most other areas remained the same, the official stressed.

The main problem continues to be a severe shortage of drinking water. Mr Kodippili explained the DMC has been distributi­ng drinking water to drought- affected areas for the past eight months using about 500 bowsers, 200 of which were sent into service within the past two months as the drought became more intense. About 6000 water tanks have also been delivered to affected areas.

More than 1.24 million people from over 360, 000 families in 19 districts were affected by the drought as of yesterday, according to the DMC. Kurunegala district remained the worst with 200, 000 being affected, up from 151, 000 a week ago. This meant almost 60, 000 families. Puttalam district with over 164, 000 affected people was next. Jaffna District saw 128, 652 persons affected while the number in Mulliativu stood at 115, 308. Between 85, 000 to 90, 000 persons were affected in each of the districts of Anu r a d h ap u r a , Vav u n i y a , Kilinochch­i and Mannar.

Meteorolog­y Department Director K.H.M.S Premalal observed that water was still scarce in most drought-hit areas despite the rains this week. “We have to remember that many tanks in the affected areas have either run dry or their water levels have dropped considerab­ly,” he pointed out. There has to be a prolonged period of heavy rain for the effects of the drought to diminish, and such rains are only expected towards the end of September when up water tanks. Permission has also been granted to construct tube wells, overruling objections raised by the Water Resources Board, he said.

The drought, now into its ninth month, has also dealt a severe blow to the economic life of the people who make a living out of cultivatio­n. About 1,250 of the district’s 1,300 small irrigation tanks have now dried up. The water levels of the district’s two main reservoirs at Inginitimi­tiya and Thabbowa have decreased drasticall­y. Paddy cultivatio­n is at an all-time low while subsidiary crops such as betel, bananas and tea have also been virtually wiped out.

In Nawagatteg­ama, more than100 betel fields have been affected. As a result, about 500 daily paid labourers have lost their jobs, Divisional Secretary R.P.G. Podineris said.

Those engaged in inland fishing said they would also be jobless soon if the drought continued.

Also hit by the punishing drought are dairy farmers. With grazing areas fast dwindling and water in short supply, farmers struggle to keep their cattle alive.

According to North Central Province’s Department of Animal Production and Health, some 50,000 cattle in the Puttalam district are at risk due to severe food and water shortages.

The prolonged drought has also severely disturbed the region’s eco- system. Forest areas are scattered with the carcasses of wild animals which died agonising deaths without water. Bodies of dead monkeys on trees are a common sight. the inter- monsoonal rains become active, he added.

Inter- monsoonal rains generally account for 30 per cent of the country’s total rainfall and their effectiven­ess will be vital in ending the drought period, Mr Premalal noted.

The Irrigation Department has 73 major tanks coming under its purview. The total balance water availabili­ty of these tanks has now fallen to just 14 per cent, Wasantha Bandara Palugaswew­a, Director of Irrigation (Water Management & Training) disclosed. “Many smaller tanks have run completely dry.”

Neverthele­ss, the Department had been able to release water adequate to cultivate about 50 per cent of paddy lands due to be cultivated during the ‘ Yala’ season, Mr Palugaswew­a claimed. “Despite the difficulti­es, we were able to release water for cultivatio­n purposes and we are now at the tail end of the Yala season.” Water was still being released from certain large tanks in the Anuradhapu­ra and Polonnaruw­a districts.

Mr. Palugaswew­a added that heavy rains which were experience­d in Anuradhapu­ra and Polonnaruw­a this week was an encouragin­g sign and said officials were hoping for more of the same.

The drought has also impacted hydropower generation. However, some heavy rains were also experience­d this week in areas where hydropower reservoirs are located. Maussakale, Castlereig­h, Kotmale, Norton Bridge, Canyon, Lakshapana and Kukulegang­a hydropower reservoirs received rains this week. This has resulted in total water levels of hydropower reservoirs reaching 39.6 per cent by yesterday, up from about 36.4 per cent two weeks ago, Director ( Developmen­t) of the Ministry of Power and Renewable Energy and Ceylon Electricit­y Board ( CEB) Spokesman Sulakshana Jayawarden­a stated. This however, is only a minor increase, he insisted.

At present, just 20 per cent of the country’s daily electricit­y demand is being met by hydropower. The balance 80 per cent is being generated mainly by diesel and coal power.

 ??  ?? Dried up tank in Kalpitiya. Pix by Athula Bandara, Hiran Priyankara Jayasinghe and Karuwalaga­swewa Jayaratna
Dried up tank in Kalpitiya. Pix by Athula Bandara, Hiran Priyankara Jayasinghe and Karuwalaga­swewa Jayaratna
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 ??  ?? Thabbowa: Dead monkeys on tree tops
Thabbowa: Dead monkeys on tree tops

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