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On President’s instructions:
Special committee to handle relief
* Dry rations for affected farmers
* Opposition using drought to gain political mileage
Irangika RANGE
The government will take steps to provide dry rations to farmers
whose crops have been destroyed by the severe drought in the country,
with immediate effect.
Addressing a media-briefing in Colombo yesterday, Disaster Management
Minister Mahinda Amaraweera said dry rations will be provided based on
information provided by Government Agents with regard to farmers in
drought affected districts. He said the President had appointed a
special committee comprising officials from the Treasury, Agrarian
Services and Wildlife Ministry, Agriculture Ministry, Disaster
Management Ministry, Defence Ministry, Environment Ministry, Irrigation
and Water Resources Management Ministry and Economic Development
Ministry to provide immediate relief and assistance to drought hit
farmers.
“President Mahinda Rajapaksa has instructed to take all measures to
continuously provide relief to farmers affected by the severe drought
scorching farm lands in all parts of the country,” Minister Amaraweera
said.
The minster further said the Opposition is engaged in making various
allegations based on the drought.
They must understand that the drought is not an act of sabotage by
the President or the government. It is due to the prevailing weather
pattern.
Members of the Opposition are trying to use the drought as a tool to
obtain political advantage with an eye on the upcoming elections.
Meanwhile, funds amounting to Rs 21.8 million has been allocated to
provide drinking water for people in the drought affected districts. "We
have already allocate funds to the respective District Agents in Ampara,
Kurunegala, Nuwara Eliya, Kandy, Kegalle, Jaffana, Kilinochchi,
Polonnaruwa, Anuradhapura, Mannar, Monaragala and Puttalama districts,
severely affected by the drought.
He said the continuous drought has deprived farmers of their
traditional livelihood specially in the North Central Province and other
parts of the country.
"Water levels in the catchment areas have gone down due to inadequate
rain fall. Therefore, most of the reservoirs will not be used for power
generation.
Therefore, we urge the public to use electricity sparingly," he said.
"We do not receive the North- East monsoon rains to the extent we expect
because there was no formation of low pressure in the Bay of Bengal in
May and June.
Therefore, we can not expect rains at least for one more month,"
Meteorological Department Director General, S.H.Kariyawasam said. |
