Sri Lanka's prolonged drought ended with heavy rains Wednesday - shortly after the sprinkling of Buddhist holy water over drought-stricken regions, residents said.
Rains accompanied by strong winds lashed several regions of Polonnaruwa, one of the worst affected districts, a local resident contacted by telephone said adding that they believed the worst was over.
"It has been raining for several hours," local resident Thakshila Jayasekara said. She said Buddhist monks had also organised a ritual on the bank of a dry irrigation reservoir in the region Tuesday seeking rain.
There was no immediate word from the meteorological office here and officials said heavy rains had cut off power lines and telephones in the areas which were stricken by the drought till Wednesday afternoon. Millions of people had been made destitute by the drought.