Drone aid mission brings relief to stranded residents in Wellampitiya

The situation in the Wellampitiya area on Monday, where rising floodwaters, blocked roads and left residents stranded, motivated four citizens and a drone operations company to step up to the challenge and deliver dry rations to residents in need.

- By TAHAAN JAYEWARDENE AND POOJATHMI RIVITHMA

People are stranded without provisions in Wellampitiya, with some residents unreachable by boat. Four concerned citizens; Dinusha Dissanayake, Nishantha Welgamage, Bimalee Edirisinghe, and Rtd Brigadier Shamal Senarath took it upon themselves to organize dry ration parcels for stranded locals. They ran into a major problem, however.

"We are not from Wellampitiya," said Dissanayake. She knows some of the people who are stranded, and was updated about the situation, saying, "We found that they were completely inaccessible by boat." Wondering what to do, they decided to reach out to a drone operator, realizing they needed to send the parcels by air.