Abstract:
Drought is one of the major natural disasters that affect human beings. It
results in the drinking water crisis as well as livelihood disruption. Tissawa
Grama Niladhari Division belongs to the East Panduwasnuwara DSD. Hence
the main objective of this research is to identify the natural and human facts
that cause the water crisis that affect Thissawa village during the period of
North-East Monsoon. In this study, the primary data was obtained through
questionnaires and unstructured interviews with villagers of Thissawa, from
observations. A group of thirty people was selected using a non-random
sampling method. Secondary data were obtained through research papers,
books, and the internet. Microsoft Excel was used for data analyzing and
processing. Geological Information System (GIS) was used for creating maps
and data were analyzed quantitatively and qualitatively through graphs and
tables using Excel. The majority of the sample taken for the survey is engaged
in agriculture as their livelihood. Hence, cultivation hazards caused by drought
directly impact on the annual income of the villagers. Since tanks are not
capable of providing the water requirement, lack of rainfall has become the
prominent factor for the failure of cultivation. When the soil is dry due to the
intense sunshine, the soil is left with water. The small tanks are filled with
mud and can not hold much water. Human activities that affect water shortage
include clearing the jungles of the area and using them for cultivation. Even
though villagers have a trend to cultivate beetle, vegetables, and banana, they
are discouraged by the lack of water. Water should be stored in this area. If
the mud is removed, the tanks can be deepened to collect more water. The
water of Kolamunu oya which flows through this area can be reserved in an
anicut or a tank through a canal. Through this people can be encouraged to
cultivate crops that are suitable for this climate. Such remedies can be applied
to this problem.
