News
Stories from a parched land
View(s):The prevalent drought in the North Central, Northern, North western and Eastern provinces is wrecking the lives of area residents. The drought is so severe it has ruined livelihood. Even potable water and food is in short supply.
Story and pix by Jayarathna Wickramarachchi and Kanchana Kumara Ariyadasa.
Animals are even worse off, with their normal waterholes drying up, they are forced to seek out little puddles of water which remain. Unfortunately though man and beast are equality affected by the scarcity of water, a few thoughtless huntsmen have begun setting up trap guns in the vicinity of these puddles posing a danger to lives of humans who may unknowingly pass by.
Many animals living in the forest reserve adjoining the Karuwalagaswewa temple at Ihalapuliyankulama, in Veheragala often enter the temple premises in search of water.
The Chief priest and Samaneras of the temple are seeking a means of providing water to these innocents. Meanwhile rituals calling up on the Gods to help end the drought were performed at the Muttumari Amman Kovil in Puttalam. The ceremony was followed by a kirikala procession and other religious observances.
The situation in the Polonnaruwa district too is dire. Villagers at Sinhagama in Hingurakgoda are calling on the authorities to provide them with potable water and a permanent irrigation system.
The residents of the village though living in dire poverty are forced to buy cans of water from vehicles who sell water as a business. As most villagers cannot afford to purchase water, they are forced to use the sole tube well which supplies water for bathing.
Unfortunately supplies are severely limited with only one tube well serving the 30 families living in the village.
Karuwelagaswela: People are forced to pump brakish water so it gets filtered into wells making the precious liquid drinkable
A parched field at Hingurakgoda
Saliyawewa: Pictured is man’s inhumanity to both man and beast. A heartless hunter set his trap-gun in the vicinity of a waterhole
At Puttalam the drought's got so bad people seek divine intervention at the Muttu Mari Amman Kovil to end the drought