SULLIA: As the Payaswini river, the lifeline of Sullia taluk, has dried up prematurely this year, people are forced to travel miles together in search of drinking water.
The inflow of water in the Payaswini river has completely stopped. Arecanut, coconut and banana plantations have turned a reddish yellow colour now, which is a sign of wilting as almost all farmers have stopped watering their plantations for a month.
The city municipality set up a temporary bund at Kallumutlu in Sullia every year by placing sand bags. There is very less water in the bund, and water can be provided from here only for a few more days.
Though two 50 Hp pumps were set up to lift water from the river, one has stopped functioning due to a lack of water. If there is no rain for the next few days, the city municipality will be forced to stop lifting water from the river, and opt for other sources of water.