The owners of the paddy fields in Nawalapitiya say that a deposit of sand has been deposited in a paddy field in the Udu Rambukpitiya area in Nawalapitiya due to the overflowing of the Nawalapitiya Yan Oya which flows into the Mahaweli River.
The Yan Oya, which is the main source of water for the Mahaweli River, overflowed on the 12th due to the recent heavy rains in the Nawalapitiya area.
With the overflowing of the Yan Oya, the sand that had washed away the Oya has accumulated in about 20 acres of paddy fields in the Rambukpitiya area.
Farmers who were expecting to work in the Maha season after harvesting the Yala season are now clearing the sand deposits in their paddy fields.
On the days when the sand is removed from the paddy fields, the paddy lands are sold by the farmers and a group of sand smugglers have come to the area to clear the sand that has accumulated in the paddy fields.