Jaffna, at risk of being lost to the sea?

Scientists warn that civilians in Jaffna will be compelled to consume sea water instead of clean drinking water in the next 05 years.

They have also warned that the Jaffna Peninsula will be submerged due to rising sea levels.

Creating awareness on this grave issue, Northern Provincial Minister of Environment, Ponnuthurai Ainkaranesan recently said, "Natural calamities cannot be prevented, however we can adopt certain practices to control such disasters in our country, thus we can save our lives from such natural calamities. We should create awareness among the general public to safeguard the environment without polluting it. We should carry out an efficient framework to ensure such practices. Therefore I believe it is suitable to declare a disaster control day and observe it annually to create awareness among people."

Meanwhile, Geography Professor Senavi Epitawatta of the Jayawardenapura University said that this disaster has already started in the peninsula.

He added that the Jaffna Peninsula being submerged cannot be prevented if sea levels increase by another 5cm.