THOUSANDS FACING BLEAK NEW YEAR AS DROUGHT WORSENS

More than 6,700 people representing 1,838 families in the Polonnaruwa District have been affected by the prevailing drought, Asst. Director of the Polonnaruwa District Disaster Management Centre Upul Nanayakkara said. He said that the Dimbulagala, Welikanda and Hingurakkoda Divisions were the areas worst affected and that steps had been taken to provide to supply 52,000 litres of water to the affected families using water bowsers.

A vast population in the Kalutara District and Bentota in the Galle District that depend on the National Water Supply and Drainage Board (NWSDB) water supply under the Kaluganga project is also facing hardships for want of clean drinking water due to the inflow of salt-water into the Kaluganga. Kalutara Govt. Agent U.D.C. Jayalal said that the Kaluganga, the main source of water to these two districts had been polluted with salt water.

He said this was happening because water from the sea was seeping into the Kethena water treatment centre.

The GA said steps had been taken to provide a skeleton water supply using water bowsers and that about 563 storage tanks had been installed to distribute 320,000 litres of water daily. He instructed the officials to continue an uninterrupted supply of drinking water during the holidays as well.

Meanwhile, people in several areas in the Galle District have been badly affected by the drought and are facing severe hardships for want of drinking water. It was reported that the Imaduwa, Gonapinuwala, Baddegama, Ambalangoda, Balapitiya, and Bentota divisions are the worst affected.

Galle Govt. Agent Somaratne Widanapathirana said steps had been taken to supply drinking water with the help of the Divisional Secretariats and the Pradeshiya Sabhas that provided water bowsers for the purpose.