perly
supported by the headmen. Unfortunately the Ratemahatmaya of the
division is lazy and negligent, and takes but little interest in the
welfare of the people.
"
The first thing of importance was to try to improve the supply of good
drinking water; and with this object in view I caused meetings to be
held under the Gansabhawa Ordinance in all villages which contained
more than five inhabitants, and in which there was no well, and got the
people to bind themselves to dig wells by communal labour.
Thirty-seven meetings were held, and before the close of the year
twenty-nine new wells were dug, with the best results. I personally
explained to the people how to contend withjthe difficulty of which
they complained, viz., that most of their wells contained brackish
water. This is due to a stratum of very brackish clay which underlies
the whole of the Puttalam division and part of the Demala hatpattu.
This
brackish stratum was probably the bed of a large lagoon, similar to the
Puttalam lake : in the Puttalam district it is near the surface; in the
Demala Hatpattu it is at some depth. When a well ran dry the people
deepened it until they reached the brackish stratum, and so obtained
brackish water. This mistake I pointed out, and explained to the
people that they should never dig through the clay, but should rather
increase the diameter of the well so as to increase its storage
capacity.
" This system has now been followed in many parts, and a good supply of excellent water has been obtained.
"
A very remarkable instance of this kind of work was carried out at
Kuruvikkulam, about three and a half miles south of Puttalam, thanks to
the personal libarality of His Excellency the Governor. In this place
there is always a great dearth of fresh water, and the numerous coolies
employed on the Palavi salt-pans had water taken in carts from Puttalam
for their use. The village stands on a piece of ground rising a few
feet only above the level of the lake, and just above the brackish
stratum, and the waterbearing area is nowhere more than six feet in
thickness. I had a deep well (a little over twenty feet) dug into the
brackish clay ; this was bricked up and carefully cemented to prevent
the ingress of brackish water. This was intended to act as a storage well. A few feet from this a shallow well was dug in the surface soil, sixteen feet in diamatcr and
lined with dry rubble. The fresh water collects in this well, but is
rarely more than two feet in depth. A pipe was, however, laid
connecting this well with the storage well, and a good supply of water
was thus gained. Water is only drawn from the storage well, and so the
shallow water in the larger well is not disturbed.
"
This experiment has proved a success, and the pure water was a great
boon to the numerous pilgrims passing Kuruvikkulam on their way to and
from St. Anna's church at Talavillu."
One
cannot but feel that the Ratemahatmaya, so unfavourably spoken of in
this and other portions of Mr. Lushington's report, ought at once to be
removed. It is most unfair to an energetic officer to have his efforts
for the good of the people hindered by an unworthy headman of their own
race. Then as to the geological question Mr. Lushington refers the
widely extended lower stratum of brackish clay (clay impregnated with
saline matter) to a lagoon similar to the existing Puttalam Lake—a salt
water lake, in many places exceedingly shallow—from deposits of mud. If
therefore, movements of subsidence are not to be taken into account, it
follows that surface deposits are forming at a rapid rate and that in
a period comparatively short in geological time, we may expect the
Puttalam Lake and much of the shallow water in the neighbourhood will
become land more or less firm, Kalpitiya (Calpentyn) and Karaittivu
being regularly connected with the mainland. As regards the present,
however, we find Mr. Lushington complaining of neglect of the wells by
the people. Under the head of " administrative measures engaging
attention " the Assistant Agent wrote :—
" The next matter which has engaged my attention is the amelioration of the. Demala Hatpattu; and one distinct step in advance which has been gained 44
