A villager of Hulanugai R. K. Babahamy said that around 350 families living in the villages bordering the Lahugala Reserve were engaged in agricultural activities for their livelihood and had to live in jungles in constant fear of attacks by the terrorists until such time the Eastern Province was liberated.

Hulanugai is a village at the 14th mile post on the A-4 highway leading from Siyambalanduwa to Pottuvil and the villagers told The Island when a delegation of journalists visited the area last Wednesday that they would wish to express their gratitude to President Mahinda Rajapaksa for creating an environment conducive for them to live without fear".

Babahami (60), is a native of Bibile having settled in Hulanugai 30 years before. She is a mother of four children. She said they had no permanent source of water to carry out their livelihood of agriculture and as the expected rains did not materialize this Maha season, their crops were destroyed.

"Nevertheless we villagers who have not seen any development at all for decades are happy that the government was constructing the 75.5-Km stretch of the A-4 highway 30 metres wide from Siyambalanduwa to Akkaraippattu via Pottuvil as it could bring development and prosperity to the village later.

Babahami as well as her young son, a farmer A. G. Amarasiri explained the immense difficulties the poor villagers face in procuring drinking water as there is insufficient water in the Hulanugai Wewa. The people have to travel several miles to Heda-Oya or Karanda-Oya and during the latter part of the year, from August, the Oyas run dry and the people have to dig the bottom of the Oya to collect a can of water.

The villagers said they cultivate sugar cane, cow pea, green gram, corn and made a fervent appeal to the Minister of Irrigation Chamal Rajapaksa to provide a solution to them or divert water from another river to Heda-Oya or Karandan-Oya. Now that the Eastern Province is liberated they could cultivate and live in peace with their kith and kin after several decades.

"We have to pay a carter Rs 100 to fetch a can of water which is beyond the means of a poor farmer cultivating after several years in freedom having lost all his crops to lack of rains."

In case of a wedding or funeral of a villager, one would have to fork out Rs 2 to 3000 to fetch a bowser of water for those participating at either event.

"We villagers were lucky that this time though the crops failed, there was a silver lining as Maga Engineering of Nawala Road, Narahenpita had contracted the construction of the A-4 Highway and employed around 400 youth from the surrounding villages paying each around Rs 20,000 per month.

Several of the youths in this area had been recruited to the Civil Defence Force (CDF) according to S. Pradeep, a resident of Hulanugai who had joined the CDF after passing the O/L exams last year.

G. M. Sarath Wimalaweera, a farmer who is a resident of adjoining village Mahakalugolla said that several organizations including the Sri Lanka Red Cross (SLRC) came forward to sponsor a project that would provide for drinking water, but gave up after a dispute with the Samurdhi Authority.

He said that if water could be irrigated to Mee Ketu Aru, the villagers could benefit.

He said that though they as farmers would not die of starvation their crops were destroyed.

"They were not going to make any demands from the Government and were willing to tell President Mahinda Rajapaksa that they are prepared to even starve until such time the whole country was liberated.