ISSN: 1391 - 0531
Sunday, June 24, 2007
Vol. 42 - No 04
Financial Times  

No water for Tea (RI)

By Lakwimashi Perera

The Tea Research Institute (TRI) of Sri Lanka has been running on a skeleton staff due to a prevailing water crisis, officials said. Dr. I. S. B. Abeysinghe, Director of the TRI told The Sunday Times FT that the shortage reached crisis point and staff was asked to leave on June 6. The number of staff at Talawakelle has been reduced from 150 to 75, he said.

According to him, the TRI has been operating on a skeleton staff due to the lack of water, but stressed that the Institute has not been completely closed down. “The shortage of water has reduced the amount of research work done but the advisory work that the TRI undertakes is being carried out as usual,” the director said. The TRI depends on a reservoir located in Saint Coombs estate at Talawakelle where the TRI is situated, for its water. The laboratories are completely dependant on this reservoir and so are the families of the employees who live within the Institute premises. Water for consumption is now being obtained from two wells that are also situated on the premises.

The reservoir had previously run dry in 1983 and the TRI was forced to carry out only essential services then. This time the situation is different according to the Director who stressed that the Institute has not been entirely closed down.

When asked whether any measures have been taken to counter the effect of the water crisis, Dr Abeysinghe said that the Ministry of Plantation Industries has been informed and a Cabinet paper had been presented in this regard. Also, the Water Board and the Water Resources Board have been to the premises and have forwarded a survey with proposals to include tube wells to supplement the reservoir and the two wells that are currently being used to carry out the day-to-day functions of the TRI and its remaining staff.

 

Top to the page
E-mail


Copyright 2007 Wijeya Newspapers Ltd.Colombo. Sri Lanka.