National reservoir storage has fallen to 37%, with the steepest declines concentrated in the eastern dry zone, the Department of Irrigation said.
Ampara district reservoirs are the lowest in the country at 22.8% of capacity. Batticaloa stands at 25.7% and Trincomalee at 28.2%, according to figures reported by NewsFirst.
The department said reservoirs that supply drinking water remain without any issue, a distinction it has drawn consistently through the current dry spell.
Mahaweli system holding higher
The Mahaweli Water Management Secretariat reported that reservoirs under its control are at 57% of capacity. Mahaweli reservoirs used for power generation stand at 65%.
That gap — roughly 20 percentage points between the Mahaweli system and the national irrigation figure — reflects the concentration of the shortfall in smaller dry zone tanks rather than the large multi-purpose reservoirs.
A steady decline since July
The 37% figure continues a downward run through the season. The Irrigation Department put national storage at 42% on July 30, and at just over 39% on August 4, when only two reservoirs were still spilling.
The decline has tracked prevailing dry conditions linked to El Niño. Farmers in the Northern, North Central, Eastern and Uva provinces have reported crop damage, and wildlife authorities have been trucking water by bowser into Yala, Wilpattu, Kumana and Bundala national parks as water bodies inside them dry up.
The Department of Meteorology has said significant rainfall is not expected in the worst-affected areas before October and November, leaving dry zone cultivators facing a further two to three months without meaningful relief.
