Gammadda Door to Door III launched to identify urgent needs of the public

Colombo (News1st) - On Tuesday (Aug 28th), the Gammadda movement once again recommenced the Gammadda door to door initiative to look into the burning issues faced by the general public. Three teams began their activities in different parts of the island. While on the quest to seek the hardships of the people living around the country, the Gammadda door to door team in Batticaloa came across a group of children who are forced to sleep on mats inside make-shift huts. This was in Paledithona Village in the Kiran Divisional Secretariat. Around 15 families in this area, which has been battered by the conflict, live under such harsh conditions. This was just one of the issues that they have been forced to face in their day to day lives, the lack of clean drinking water, electricity and even basic sanitation facilities has proven to be serious issues plaguing the lives of these families. Another team visited the villages of Uthur, Puvankani, and Kadirawali located in the Vakarai Divisional Secretariat in the Batticaloa district. The locals here also face serious issues due to the threat of wild elephants and lack of clean drinking water. The residents state their livelihoods are also at risk because outsiders engage in fishing in their waters using illegal fishing methods. A team was also dispatched to Upper Puliyankulama, Lower Puliyankulama, Neela Bemma, Mahahenyaya and Veerapura in the Puttalam District. Walking through these rural villages they were able to find out that in order to drink clean water, the people have been forced to buy bottled water. Meanwhile, the people living in the Sevvantheevu village in Puttalam for many years have been facing a severe crisis in accessing clean drinking water. They live in small make-shift huts and revealed their hardships to the Gammadda Door to Door team on Tuesday. Yet another Gammadda team made their way to the Karanugala and Bulupitiya villages as well as the Rathugala Indigenous Community village in Bibila. The residents claim that wild elephants roam into their villages at around three in the evening has made matter difficult for them. The Gammadda Door-to-Door campaign, carried out in partnership with the University of Peradeniya, will see teams walk the length and breadth of Sri Lanka documenting the problems and challenges faced by people living in rural Sri Lanka.