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Drought wreaks havoc in Batti as pipe-borne water sucks
View(s):By Chandani Kirinde
Residents of Batticaloa take pride in calling their town the land of the singing fish but, gripped by one of the worst droughts in recent years, the chorus of thousands of people in the district hit by severe water shortage is far from a melodious one.
For the past few weeks, the lives of villagers in areas such as Vavunativu , Eravur and Vakarai revolve around finding water to meet their daily needs. Government supplies dispatched through bowsers are erratic and inadequate, and barely meet the demand for drinking water of the large population affected by the dry spell, while finding water for washing, bathing means treading 4 to 5 km daily to the nearest water bodies which too, are fast running dry.
In the Batticaloa district alone, the number of persons affected by the drought stands at over 60,000 in 14 District Secretariat Divisions.
Among the areas where water shortages are most acute is Mundalamadhu in the Pudamandawathady Grama Sevaka Division where kitchen utensils, plastic bottles, buckets and all kinds of containers line the front of homes, as villagers wait for a water bowser to arrive. Among those awaiting water supplies are children seated on the roadside, looking out eagerly for the bowser to show up. It comes only twice a week, and the supply is barely enough or the villagers.
Yoganaathan Subhashini, a housewife is among those who are awaiting the arrival of the water bowser. The well in her garden ran dry several weeks ago, and she is dependent on the water bowser to provide her family with water for drinking and cooking purposes. “We walk 5 to 6 km to the nearest tank to bathe and wash clothes. Our paddy crops are all dead due to lack of water, and our economic burden too has increased, as we have to buy our supplies from the market,” Subashini said.
There is no pipe-borne water in this village, even though lines have been laid. “Several other villagers in the surrounding areas have been given pipe-borne water but, though the lines in our village were laid several months ago, we have yet to be given the connection,” she laments.
In the adjoining villages of Nadarajah Anandapuram, the situation is equally bleak. People are spending most of their time sitting outdoors, shielding themselves from the intense heat. Temperatures in most areas in Batticalao have shot as high as 38 centigrade during the past week.
Saravanamuttu Yogeshwaran is without work, as the once plentiful agriculture land he worked on is now desolate. “There are two 10,000-litre plastic water tanks in our village, which empty in two hours after the bowsers fill them up. The two tanks have to provide for 200 families in our village, which is woefully inadequate,” he said.
Schoolchildren are among the most affected by the drought. “The children get up and leave home around 5.30 am. to get to the tank which has some water left. They wash themselves, return home, get dressed and head to school. It’s a real struggle for them. There is no water even for our basic sanitary needs,” Yogeshwaran said.
Well in a home garden runs dry. Pix by Indika Handuwala
Here too, people are waiting for the day that pipe-borne water will become a reality for them. “This is a problem we have at least once in two years. If pipe-borne water is provided, we won’t face this situation again,” he said.
The villagers have lost faith in the politicians who represent their areas. “People in these areas face many problems but, this is one of the most pressing issues, and we hope it will be resolved soon,” he said.
The District Secretary of Batticaloa Ms P.S.M. Charles is aware of the extent of the problem, and she and her officials have been working tirelessly to dispatch adequate water supplies. “The District Disaster Management Centre has got additional allocations to hire water bowsers and send them to drought-hit areas. The cycle of drought and flooding in the district unfortunately, makes life very difficult for the underprivileged people living here,” she said.
While forecasts are that the monsoon will set in within the next two weeks, which, other than providing immediate relief to those affected by the drought, will do little to ease the problem of water shortages that people in the area face regularly. What they need is pipe-borne water, so that, even when the drought next sets in, there would be no repetition of the hardships the villagers have to undergo to meet their most basic needs.
Villagers have to walk miles to the nearest tank
Mrs.P.S.M.Charles (Government Agent & District Secretary)
Saravanamuttu Yogeshwaram
Yoganathan Subhashini
Children seated on the roadside,looking out eagerly for the water bowser to show up Pix by Hiran Priyankara, Sumanasiri Gunathilake