Several paddy fields in Pallama affected

COLOMBO (News1st): Several paddy fields in the Pallama area have been affected owing to a monopoly in using a water tank which is being refurbished using state funds. One person has been using the tank by for over 35 years and is not allowing other farmers to obtain water from it to irrigate their fields, villagers claim. "This is my paddy field. It is destroyed due to the lack of water. I cannot yield a harvest. I do not get water," one farmer pointed out. Against such a backdrop, a tense situation arose when residents opposed sand mining that has been taking place in the tank recently. Sumal Thissera, the former Agriculture Minister for the North Western Province, and police officers arrived at the scene to bring the situation under control.