Thousands affected by drought in Kinniya

<p>Extreme heat in Trincomalee over the last two months has caused drought in the district, with thousands affected in the Kinniya division.</p> <p>The hot weather has caused water shortages in 6 villages in the region, a divisional official for the National Disaster Relief Services Centre reported.</p> <p>More than 2000 people were suffering as a result of the water shortage in the Kinniya area.</p> <p>Farmers, freshwater fish farmers, and livestock farmers have been particularly affected by drought which is also reportedly impacting tens of thousands of people around the island.</p> <p>The prolonged hot weather is likely to severely impact more parts of the Trincomalee district and beyond.</p> <p>Climate change continues to affect the island, with Sri Lanka being ranked second among the countries most affected in a Global Climate Risk Index in 2019. The Tamil homeland has disproportionately faced extreme weather in recent years suffering alternately between droughts and severe floods.</p>