POLONNARUWA HIT BY DROUGHT

More than 6,000 adversely affected Water supplied by Divisional Secretariat via bowsers

More than 6,000 people of 1,720 families in the Polonnaruwa District had been adversely affected by the prevailing drought, Asst. Director of the District Disaster Management Centre Upul Nanayakkara said. “Welikanda and Dimbulagala Divisions are the worst affected,” he said. He said that about 1,000 students of two schools in the Welikanda Division were facing hardship for want of drinking water.

Meanwhile, chena cultivators said they were in trouble due to the prevailing drought and that they would be compelled to abandon yala cultivation if the drought continued.

Mr Nanayakkara said steps had been taken through Divisional Secretariats to provide a basic supply of water in bowsers to villages and schools in the affected areas.

He said the 75,000 litres a day was being distributed at present and that it would be increased if the drought continued.

Meanwhile, residents of affected areas said all canals, streams and garden wells had run dry and that the water supplied by the DS was not adequate to meet their usual requirement.