Freak weather destroys 7000 acres of paddy in Mannar

By Dinasena Ratugamage

Over 7,000 acres of paddy fields in Mannar had been destroyed by heavy rains and floods, Assistant Commissioner, Mannar Agrarian Services Department, A. Merin Kumar said on Thursday (11).

He added that those paddy fields had to be recultivated and they included 2,580 acres of paddy land in Manthai West, 990 acres in Musali, 180 acres in Nanattan and 560 acres in Mannar DS areas destroyed by freak weather. The remaining paddy land was in Madu.

The Assistant Commissioner said that the water level of Yoda Wewa, Mannar was 11.4 feet by Thursday evening. The tank would overflow with another four inches, he said,

“If the tank overflows, another 4,000 acres would be destroyed. Mannar is important to the overall rice production in the country. This will impact the paddy harvest and the food security of the country,” he said.