Five thousand acres of paddy lands which receive water from the Lunugamwehera reservoir, remain uncultivated due to an acute shortage of water, the Secretary of the Ruhunu Giruwa Ekabadda Govi Sanvidanaya, Chandrasekera Yapa said. About two thousand farmer families in the area have been instructed by the authorities to cultivate subsidiary food crops due to the scarcity of water.
He said the farming community in the area are reluctant to take to subsidiary food crop cultivation.
“If there is no possibility of releasing water for paddy cultivation, the farming community in the area request the authorities to pay them a compensation at the rate of Rs. 40,000 per acre,” he said.
Tissmaharama Irrigation Engineer, Amila Shirantha said that at present the Lungamwehera reservoir holds about 9,000 acre feet of water from the Weheragala reservoir but another 20,000 acre feet of water is needed to release water for paddy cultivation.
Meanwhile, health authorities in Hambantota said there are sixteen kidney patients in Hambantota district. Dr. M. N. H. N. Krishantha said 5,749 patients were screened to find out those suffering from kidney disease and of them only sixteen were identified as kidney patients. He said that they were directed for clinical treatment.
Dr. Krishantha said those identified as kidney patients are from Ambalantota Suriyawewa Tissamaharama, Lunugamwehera, Hambantota and Agunakolapelessa MOH office areas.