More than 5,500 people had been affected by the prevailing drought in the Polonnaruwa District, Asst. Director of the Disaster Management Centre Upul Nanayakkara said.

“Statistically 5,500 people in 14,603 families have been affected by the prevailing drought in the Polonnaruwa District,” he said.

Nanayakkara said that the drought had resulted in a severe shortage of drinking water.

He said that Welikanda, Dimbulagala, Lankapura and Thamankaduwa divisions with 58 Gramaniladhari areas were the worst affected.

Majority of the affected families were in the Lankapura division.

The Asst. Director said several schools in the Dimbulagala Education Zone were on the verge of closure due to shortage of water.

Residents of the area said their garden wells, tanks and village water courses had run dry.

He said the Divisional Secretaries in the respective had taken steps to distribute drinking water using bowzers.

However, the affected people said the authorities had failed to maintain a regular supply of water and that the quantity of water issued was not adequate. (K.G.Karunaratne)