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| Tuesday, 30 March 2004 |
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North-Central Dry Zone's slow, scorching death by Florence Wickramage Natural disasters in this our thrice blessed land were unheard of during the time of our ancestors. Yet of recent times, natural disasters have become prevalent with floods, landslides and droughts being reported.
Most of these disasters could be attributed to destructions caused to nature and the environment by man's insatiable greed for money. Nature has fought back with great fury. The recent drought affecting several parts of the country have been acutely felt in the `Kingdom of tanks' - Anuradhapura. Residents say that this drought is the worst they have experienced in 20 years. According to Met Department sources a drought condition prevails when 50% of the expected rainfall does not occur. During the past 3 months no part of the country received 50% of the expected rainfall causing a severe drought all over the country.
Meteorological Department statistics reveal that the worst drought-hit areas are Kurunegala, Anuradhapura and Puttalam districts, which receive rains during the North Easterly Monsoon, Inter Monsoon and Wasuli rainy seasons. These districts have been caught up in a severe drought since there were no rains from October last year to date. During a recent visit to Kurunegala and Anuradhapura we were able to
witness how severe the drought is which is affecting Kurunegala and
Anuradhapura. The water levels in the Galgamuwa Wewa, Siyambalangamuwa
Wewa and the Inginimitiya Reservoir in Kurunegala have drastically
dropped. Ven. Wanawasi Rahula Thera of Namal Uyana said that the drought has seriously affected Galkiriyagama and that he did not experience such a serious drought during the past 13 years he had lived there. Ven. Rahula said that the Government should provide drought relief to the people since they were facing much difficulty due to most parts of the Wewas running dry and there was no sufficient water for drinking or bathing purposes. Some people have dug wells in the dried up parts of the wewas for their daily needs. He further added that people would fall sick drinking water from these wells as such the Government should seek ways to provide these people with pure drinking water. The drought has seriously affected the two major wewas in Kekirawa - the Kala Wewa and the Balalu Wewa, the water levels of which have dropped to less than 10%. Water in the Balalu Wewa has now been restricted to a few wells people have dug up on the dried up tank bed. People who are benefitting by this situation are the fisherfolk who make a livelihood in catching fish hidden in these wells. They walk across the dried up wewas and catch fish using equipment like buckets and pointed knives. A spokesman for the Balalu Wewa Farmer Society said that 10-15 acres of paddy fields have completely dried. He also informed that the water level of the Balalu Wewa has not dropped so low for the past 20 years. Most farmers of the area were of the unanimous view that they would not be able to glean any harvests from their paddy fields under the present situation. Farmers and cultivators who depended on the waters of the Kala Wewa for their cultivations were also facing the same plight with the destruction of hundreds of paddy fields. In addition the waters of the main Tabbowa Wewa and the Solae Wewa in Puttalam have also dropped. According to Wildlife Deputy Director in charge of the Wayamba Region Manjula Amararatne, wildlife in the Wilpattu National Park are seriously affected with the drying up of the tanks and the waterways within the park. The seven tanks comprising Anaiwilundawa, Sri Lanka's second Ramsar site have also dried up in the prevailing drought. Anuradhapura The water level of the Nuwara Wewa the sole drinking water source of the Anuradhapura residents have reached a low 4.11 feet. The water capacity of the Nuwara Wewa is 36050 acre-feet with a water level of 23 feet. Sources at the Anuradhapura Irrigation office confirmed that by Tuesday last the capacity has dropped to 2410 acre-feet of water. Provision of drinking water to Anuradhapura has reached a critical stage under the present situation. Water Board officials said that providing drinking water to Anuradhapura residents becomes an impossible task when the Nuwara Wewa water level drops to 5.5 feet. Water Board officials were making arrangements to draw water from the Malwatu Oya for distribution in Anuradhapura. Water levels in most of the tanks in the Anuradhapura district have dropped by 80 - 90% Anuradhapura did not experience rains since October last year resulting in the devastation of thousands of acres of paddy lands belonging to farmers who depended on the rains for agriculture. Besides paddy farmers cash crop cultivators have also been likewise affected. Some farmers complained that they were promised water from the Mahaweli if the Nachchaduwa tank water level dropped but this did not materialise resulting in the loss of thousands of acres of paddy which were ready for harvest. Former Agriculture Minister of the Anuradhapura Provincial Council S. M. Chandrasena commented that this was the worst drought experienced in Anuradhapura for the past 20 years. Around 87.32% of paddy lands irrigated during the rainy seasons have been destroyed in addition to around 50% of paddy lands watered from minor irrigation schemes. Further around 30% of cultivations including cash crops depending on Mahaweli waters have perished in the drought. Chandrasena added that paddy cultivation, vegetable farming and cultivation of cash crops were the main livelihood of farmers. As such 70% of vegetable cultivations, 90% of gingelly and 71.33% of Kurakkan cultivations have been destroyed. Though Anuradhapura is called the "Wew bandi rajjayaya" this fate would not have befallen if the tanks and waterways in the district had been maintained and conserved, Chandrasena reiterated. The drought Anuradhapura has its toll on man's livelihood and on wild animals. Animals like the deer, sambur, hare and the wild boar roam about searching for water when they become easy targets of poachers. Wild elephants wander into farmers, homesteads in search of food and water and the human-elephant conflict is revitalised. The result being 4 elephants killed, several more injured and 5 human beings killed in the Anuradhapura and Puttalam districts alone. Wildlife Deputy Director Manjula Amarasinghe said that they have intensified vigilance by raid-units to take into custody huntsmen who prey on the innocent lives of animals who wander into these dried up tanks to quench their thirst. The drought gripping the Rajarata has impacted negatively on the country's economy, agriculture. According to Agriculture Department statistics the paddy harvest islandwide has reduced to 30-40%. Around 79600 families in 23 divisional secretariats in Anuradhapura district alone have been seriously affected by the drought. The Government Agent's office is planning immediate relief measures to those affected. Latest information received reveals that 80,000 acres of paddy lands which were ready for harvesting in the Mahaweli H areas have been completely destroyed. This has resulted in prices of essential food stuffs going up in price causing social problems among the people. Droughts have become a yearly occurrence and it is the responsibility of the government in power to launch well planned far-sighted programmes to counter the ill-effects of droughts. Urgent attention should be focused on conserving and managing our watersheds, conservation of forest lands and proper maintenance and conservation of our many waterways the country is blessed with. Information Courtesy - Nihal P. Abeysinghe. |
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