Wild elephants takeover central hill water source: People consume contaminated water

COLOMBO (News 1st): The central hills are blessed with many natural water springs. One such example is the Pangaha water spring in Pallegala Debokka forest reserve. The locals of 'Aswaddu gama' had constructed a water line connecting the Pangaha water spring to their village for drinking purposes. However, now they are severely inconvenienced, as their village's main source of water, has become a resting place for wild elephants. One of the major issues faced by the locals is the state of their drinking water, which is contaminated by animal faeces.

The people's voices

"This dirt is what we consume. There are even dead snakes. We only check when something gets stuck in the line. Many people including children have even consumed such."

"Animals get caught as there is no filter system in place. The water comes through a pipeline. And we don't even have a stock tank."

There are more than 150 people from 28 families living in this area. Is it not the responsibility of the relevant officials to resolve the water crisis of these people?