President Maithripala Sirisena has instructed the Secretary of Health Ministry to submit an urgent report on the prices and quality of bottles of drinking water.

Certain businessmen have been selling bottled water without required quality at a higher price in this dry season and the attention of the President was drawn regarding this matter, the PMD said.

A special meeting on providing support for the people affected by the dry climate condition was held at Presidential Secretariat on Thursday (05).

The drought has affected nine districts by now and 143,235 people in Kurunegala, Puttalam, Polonnaruwa, Ampara, Anuradhapura, Kandy and Mannar districts are affected due to this.

Providing drinking water facilities and other water requirements and the progress of the programme to supply dry rations were further discussed, the President’s Media Division reported.

The issues discussed included the drop in water sources, shortages in reservoirs and the problems in hydro power generation and the inefficiency of water for animals and the damage done by wild animals to crop and property.

President Sirisena stressed the importance of dissemination of information to the farmers through farmer organizations on the need for reconstructing tube wells established in central places and using water with frugality, and conducting short term programs regarding this.

The attention was given on the problems and progress of the Drought Fund program initiated under President’s instructions for the benefit of the agricultural families affected due to dry climatic conditions.

Ministers Anura Priyadharshana Yapa, Sajith Premadasa, Deputy Minister Dunesh Gankanda, Chief Minister of the North Western Province Dharmasiri Dassanayake, other ministers, Secretary to the President Austin Fernando, Secretary to the Treasury Ministry of Finance R.H.S. Samaratunga, including  Secretaries of ministries, and Secretaries of districts and government officers were present in this event.