NORTH HIT BY SEVERE DROUGHT

BY ROMESH MADUSHANKA

More than 151,640 individuals belonging to 45,554 families in the North had been affected by the prevailing severe drought in the region, the Disaster Management Centre said. According to reports of the National Disaster Management Centre all water resources including garden wells had run dry in the region. A senior official of the Disaster Management Centre said the Mannar District with 56,324 people belonging to 16,243 families was the worst affected. The report said: “46,036 people in Kayts, Karainagar, Karaveddi, Chavakachcheri, the Delft, Velanai, Maruthankerni, and in the Jaffna District, 9,082 people in Kaandavalai and Pooneryn in the Kilinochchi District, 40,093 people in Puthukudiyiruppu, Maritiyanpattu in the Mullaithivu District, and 105 people in the Vavuniya District are facing hardship for want of drinking water.” Officials of the District Disaster Management Units said steps had been taken to provide limited water supply in bowsers to the affected areas through Divisional Secretariats. However, the people in the affected areas expressed dissatisfaction of the water supply. They said that the supply was not adequate to meet even the bare needs.