A village suffering with no water to quench their thirst....

COLOMBO (News 1st): The Government of Sri Lanka does a lot of things behind people's backs. However, nobody in the country is aware until tonnes of garbage is dumped on our country by foreign nations. It is evident that the government turns a blind eye to many problems faced by thousands of people. The Heengalgoda road was built two and a half years ago at a cost of Rs 42.1 million. Only a stream of rocks remain. One wonders whether tar and stones were laid on this road at a cost of Rs. 42.1 million or the stones were laid dipped in tar. A bus used to travel this road, providing transport to the villagers. But that bus is nowhere to be seen now. The mere reason for that is there is no road for the bus to travel on now. But the trucks that transport tea leaves, still travel on this road. The road becomes more dilapidated with each lorry that travels on this road. 800 families that earn a living by plucking tea leaves have waited for years, eagerly expecting a proper road to travel on. It was with the greatest difficulty that Team Gammadda reached Wella Mulli Waikkal. Wella Mulli Waikkal is known to be the place that saw the end of the 30-year war. 400 families have lived here for a period of 8 years but, signs of development are still to be seen. The residents first greeted us with a glass of water to quench our thirst before unveiling their plethora of problems. The water that these residents consume every day is non-consumable. These residents spend most of their time not at their homes but at hospitals. Many people have made Wella Mulli Waikkal a place to visit after the end of the War. If you ever decide to embark on a journey to Wella Mulli Waikkal, take a glass of water. You will surely experience the tragedy these people are going through. We heard about 280 families in Mallihei-Theev, Pudukuduirippu who do not have clean water to drink. No clean drinking water from one side and a wild elephant problem from another side, hardships of these villagers have aggravated to another level. The ancient road used to take elephants to their bathing area is called the Kandy, Wattegama, Athgala road. We heard about a critical water shortage faced by 300 families who reside alongside this ancient pathway. We saw the lives of the people who used to bath elephants, suffering without water at present. Although this village is named as Kalugal-Thalawa, these residents live in houses built on high lands. Wells cannot be dug to obtain water due to the strong rock valley. Even though there are springs down the hill, there is no proper method to obtain water. If the officials did care, a simple glance at a map will show them the springs that are available in this area. If they in fact did care, the people living here will have a glass of clean drinking water.