News
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N’Eliya
blowing cold and hot Residents complain that the extreme weather conditions– scorching sun at day time and very cold at night—are making life miserable in this ‘Little England’ of Sri Lanka. In the mornings the weather is as hot as in areas like Ampara and Hambantota. The biting cold starts setting in soon after midnight and becomes coldest towards dawn with frost being seen even in urban areas of Mahagastota, Hawaeliya and Sadatenna. Many elders say this amount of frost has not been seen in Nuwara Eliya for about two decades. Although life is rough for the people, with Nuwara Eliya blowing cold and hot, the sight of early morning frost settling on colourful flowers makes a pretty picture. Schoolchildren are the hardest hit by the cruel weather pattern. Going to school in the wee hours of the morning and returning in the hot sun has made them vulnerable to splitting skin, that sometimes even lead to bleeding. The changing weather has also affected cultivation. Farmers complain that the early morning frost is suffocating the growth of cabbage, potatoes and lettuce. Potatoes in particular are rotting fast and have to be discarded due to the extreme cold that soon gives way to extreme heat. Tea pluckers also complain of having to start work early morning in the freezing cold. In spite of the gloomy picture there is a ray of hope at least for the tourism sector if holiday makers decide it would be worth to brave the climate to see the rare sight of so much frost, residents say. |
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