The farmers who depended on paddy cultivation in more than 75 acres of paddy fields irrigated by Wadakahaara canal lost their livelihood after the breakdown of the anicut. They accused the authorities for not maintaining the anicut for the last 30 years without concerning the hardships of the farmers. They pointed out that the anicut was repaired last during the time of the Prime Minister Sirimavo Bandaranaike in the early 1970s providing irrigation facilities to about 100 farmer families under the governemnt's agricultural development plan. However, the anicut broke down due to lack of maintenance leaving the canal to the mercy of the jungle. Meanwhile, the squatters settled in the canal reservation and cultivated sugar cane after cutting down valuable forest trees. The residents of the area said Wadakahaara canal built by the ancient kings with 500 meter long dam is in ruins today. However, this ancient dam was damaged due to the felling of trees. A farmer living near the canal, D.M.Mensisappu once attempted to restore the dam with the help of his children to irrigate his fields , but his attempt was foiled by the floods in April 2007 that further damaged the dam. The residents of the area accused the Irrigation Department of neglecting the historic irrigation works in this manner. They requested the government to restore the canal and the anicut under the on going development programmes to uplift the rural folk.