Water stored in reservoirs managed by the Department of Irrigation has fallen to 42% of total capacity, but there is enough to supply drinking water until October, the department said on Thursday.
H.M.P.S.D. Herath, Director of Irrigation (Water Management), said storage across all department-managed reservoirs stood at 42%, NewsFirst reported. Reservoirs in the Batticaloa, Trincomalee and Ampara districts are in a considerably worse position, holding just 24% of capacity.
Speaking separately, Irrigation Director General Dr. Kitsiri Weligepola said several small-capacity tanks are at risk of drying up altogether under the prevailing El Niño conditions, Hiru News reported. He asked the public to manage and conserve water carefully in both agricultural and everyday use given the low storage levels.
The department nonetheless assured the public that the reservoirs hold sufficient drinking water.
Cultivation at risk
The more consequential warning concerns the next planting cycle. Weligepola said the combination of reduced storage across the irrigation system and lower rainfall may affect the extent of land that can be cultivated in the coming major season. The department has drawn up plans to retain the water volumes needed for the Maha season, which begins in October.
That makes the next two months decisive. Maha is Sri Lanka’s principal cultivation season, running on north-east monsoon rains, and the area farmers are permitted to plant is set according to what irrigation schemes can guarantee. A reduced issue of water translates directly into a smaller sown extent and a smaller paddy harvest.
Context
The figures land in the middle of a dry spell that forecasters have linked to El Niño. The Meteorology Department has flagged an elevated probability of below-average rainfall through the second half of the year, and dry conditions have already been recorded in the Ampara, Batticaloa, Trincomalee, Hambantota and Monaragala districts — an overlap with the eastern reservoirs now at 24%.
Drinking water supply has so far been held steady. The National Water Supply and Drainage Board said this week it has no immediate plans to restrict supply because neither the Irrigation Department nor the Mahaweli Authority has limited extraction, and Housing, Construction and Water Supply Minister Susil Ranasinghe said on Thursday that Labugama and Kalatuwawa hold enough water for three months even without rain.
Farmers were urged to use water sparingly earlier this month as the Yala season ran down.
