Nelumkanniya, a village in the vicinity of Anuradhapura, close to Kalattewa, was in the news some years ago owing to a gruesome murder. But this apart, the 200 odd families at Nelumkanniya live a peaceful life, subsisting on agriculture.
While paddy is the main crop, they also grow maize, chillies and vegetables. Life is hard. When a crop fails, they are in trouble. And the much needed water for their survival is not easily available. They depend on rain water which gets collected in the village tank — a feature in most villages in the North Central Province (NCP).
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| Monks led by Tiricunamale Ananda Anu Nayaka Thera and Ven Talalle Chandakitti Thera and villagers visiting the tank area. |
Rains don't come easily to the dry zone. A long drought affects the life of the villagers. Lack of rain means the water level in the tank drops, affecting not only cultivation, but also day-to-day activities, like bathing and washing.
For many months now life has been a struggle for the villagers as the sluice in the tank was defective. The pipe lines were broken and only a little water came through. This problem didn’t appear to be a priority for area officials.
Having realized the problem that the villagers had in getting water for their fields, the Nelumkanniya monk looked for assistance. Having heard about the social service projects initiated by the Dhammadeepa Foundation, he wrote to them. The live wire behind the foundation, Ven Talalle Chandakitti Thera decided to visit Nelumkanniya and see for himself how they could help.
The Dhammadeepa Foundation undertakes at least one major project every year to commemorate the death anniversary of the Most Venerable Madihe Pannasiha Maha Nayaka Thera and they decided to undertake the Nelumkanniya project for the Maha Nayaka Thera's sixth death anniversary which fell in September.
Amidst many difficulties including the transport of material to the site, removing the earth and clearing the bund to take out the old pipes and replace them with new ones, the project was completed and handed over to the people of Nelumkanniya last Sunday.
As Tiricunamale Ananda Anu Nayaka Thera opened the sluice gate amidst the chanting of 'seth pirith' by a few monks , villagers gathered on the other side of the bund to see the water flowing into the channels and on to their parched fields. It was play time for the children who enjoyed the water gushing out of the brand new 8 inch diameter pipes which have replaced the broken 2 inch pipes.
The newly built flight of steps to the tank will also be a boon to the villagers who can conveniently walk down for a bath after a hard day’s work. Earlier they had no proper bathing spot and it was a risky walk down the bund.
"We will now have enough water to cultivate our fields during both Maha and Yala seasons," Piyadasa, a seasoned farmer said with relief. |
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