News
Families hungry, sweaty and bitten by mozzies
C.S.K. Anthony
Five days of power interruptions brought misery to domestic electricity consumers already troubled by excessive temperatures.
Housewives battled to keep food from perishing and provide meals to the family while problems arose with washing and ironing of clothes and the availability of light so that schoolchildren could study.
There were risks for pedestrians and motorists with street lights off while homeowners were concerned that burglars could take advantage of the dark.
The excessive heat experienced these days, along with mosquitoes, disturbed rest at night.
C.S.K. Anthony, a resident of Weliamuna Road, Wattala, said he kept his children outdoors in the garden as much as possible as the house became unbearably hot during the power cuts.
“I had to spend hours fanning children with a sheet of cardboard at night to reduce their sweating and to keep away mosquitoes because we had to open the windows to let out the heat,” he said.
“I have three children who are aged nine, five and four and all of them have been attacked by mosquitoes at night and, worse, the younger two were not going to sleep as they were scared of the dark,” he said. Parents expressed concern that children studying for exams were affected.
Priyani Paranawithana, whose daughter is sitting for the GCE Ordinary Level examination this year, said the child’s study schedule had been interrupted morning and night.
Udeni Perera described how the power cuts had affected day-to-day activities. Her troubles began the previous Sunday when a church event that had been planned for months had to be called off because microphones, recording equipment and lights and fans could not function.
Varatha Lakshmi. Pix by Athula Devapriya
Her housework had been complicated because she had to compensate for not being able to iron her husband’s and children’s clothes for work and school due to the electricity being off.
Mrs. Perera’s 14-year-old daughter, Sera, said her studies had been set back, explaining that her computer practicals that day had not proceeded because there was no power.
A resident of Kurundugahawatte Lane at Wattala, Mrs. Varatha Lakshmi, said her family did not have water at home because the electric water pumps could not function.
“Now I have no option to go but to go to our relations’ place to ask for water. I don’t like to bother neighbours who are also affected by the power cuts,” she said.
She had been unable to cook or make tea in the morning, and the food she had prepared the night before lay perishing in the refrigerator which was useless in the hours without power.