News
‘Little England’ wilting under the scorching sun
Vegetable crops fast coming a cropper due to the heat
Nuwara Eliya, the hill station that many people head to in April to beat the heat is also withering in the unusually hot weather prevalent in the rest of the country.
Vegetable cultivations and tea plantations are drying up while drinking water is fast becoming scarce.
With National New Year just 15 days away, vegetable prices are set to soar because of crops drying up.
Saliya Krishantha, a vegetable farmer from Mahagastota told the Sunday Times that more than 50 per cent of his crops have been affected.
Guest house owners are also worried that the water shortage will hamper the season that usually sees thousands flocking to Nuwara Eliya.”There are queues at the Municipal Council to pay for bowsers of water. A 5000 liter bowser costs Rs 7,680 inclusive of VAT and NBT. Some of the main hotels too depend on this service. But there are others who cannot afford it,” Shantha Priyadhrashana, a guest house owner said.
A spokesman for the Meteorological Department said that the average day-time temperature in March is around 22 C, but on Thursday and Friday the day temperature was more than 24 C.
Workers at the Nuwara Eliya Park which is usually lush during this time of the year with colourful flowers in full bloom are also facing an uphill task to maintain it.
“Some areas look like it was a park in Ampara or Monaragala or like a chena in the North Central Province,” a local resident said.
Trying to keep the flowers abloom: A worker at the Nuwara Eliya Park watering the plants
Some of the main waterfalls are running dry while a string of forest fires too have been reported during the week. Around 200 hectares of forest cover was destroyed by fires during the week.
One such fire had broken out in Kudagama in Hatton.
In another incident the Talawakele Police arrested a man on suspicion of setting fire to the forest reserve close to St. Clares Waterfall with the intention of hunting animals while Diyagala police arrested another on suspicion of setting fire to the Diyagala Wild Reserve.
Both were produced before the Nuwara Eliya Magistrate who released them on Rs. 50,000 bail.
Nuwara Eliya division SSP Edmound Mahendra said due to the dry weather wild fires could spread rapidly.
“Assistance will be sought from the Conservation Department, Police, Army and Civil Guard Committees if the need arises,” he said.
He said people should immediately inform authorities of any signs of fires or even of risks that could cause fires.
Meanwhile tea cultivations were drying up resulting in the reduction of green leaves.
T.Muttusamy a labourer said that as a result they didn’t have much work these days. He said the early morning heavy mist followed by a high temperature during the day was affecting tea cultivations.
“Those of us who live on the plantations are facing severe water shortage while we are also affected by the heat from the wildfires.