Over 800,000 people affected by drought

899,235 people of 228,906 families have been affected by the prevailing dry weather, the Government Information Department says.

Prevailing Dry Weather has affected people in 16 districts while a number of acres of agricultural lands is being destroyed and that extent of land is being assessed at the Divisional Secretariat level, said the Minister of Disaster Management Anura Priyadarshana Yapa.

Accordingly, the government has decided to continuously provide compensations for the owners of these agricultural lands for four months from March. Rs. 10,000 will be granted for a destroyed acre of paddy field while other crop plantations are also compensated, the Agricultural and Agrarian Insurance Board said.

899,235 people of 228,906 families from 103 Divisional Secretariat Divisions in 16 Districts including Trincomalee, Kalutara, Gampaha, Hambantota, Monaragala, Anuradhapura, Jaffna, Mulativu, Kilinochchi, Vavuniya, Ratnapura, Kegalle, Kurunegala, Puttlam, Kandy, and Matale have been affected by the prevailing dry weather.

Ministry of Finance has already allocated Rs. 50 million to provide required drinking water for the people in those districts.