5,000 worth drought ‘relief packs’ containing essential items. That’s a population of 105,676 persons from 32,409 families, according to Batticaloa District Secretary M. Uthayakumar. The Government has allocated Rs.5.7 million for drought relief purposes in the district and Rs.1 million of the funds have already been dispersed to provide drinking water, he disclosed. “We are distributing drinking water to those in three Divisional Secretariat Divisions,” District Secretary N.H.M. District Secretary R. Ketheeswaran said the authorities had taken measures to distribute water to affected areas, as many water bodies in the district were almost empty.

Source: Sunday Times September 08, 2018 19:12 UTC