Districts hit by the El Niño-related drought face a serious risk of rising malnutrition unless nutritional and welfare measures are introduced in advance, a specialist doctor has warned.
Dr. Chamal Sanjeewa, chairman of the Doctors’ Trade Union Alliance for Medical and Civil Rights, said the risk falls hardest on children, pregnant women, lactating mothers and adults living with non-communicable diseases, the Daily Mirror reported.
He said reduced food production, declining availability of quality food, falling farmer incomes and rising household costs could together make it harder for rural and semi-urban families to obtain nutritious food. Children under five and those aged five to 17 would be particularly exposed.
“Advance preparation is essential to prevent a drought-related nutritional crisis,” he said.
What he is asking for
Dr. Sanjeewa called for nutrition programmes for schoolchildren aged five to 17 in drought-affected areas and for existing support to under-fives to be strengthened. He urged the Health Ministry to introduce targeted programmes for pregnant women, lactating mothers and adults with non-communicable diseases, and to set up a dedicated task force for the El Niño situation with resources allocated to it.
He also said the Thriposha programme for children under five is already not being delivered in several parts of the country — a gap he warned would compound the effect of a prolonged drought. Thriposha, the state-supplied fortified supplement, has had supply problems before.
How many districts are affected is unsettled
Dr. Sanjeewa put the number of affected districts at nearly ten. That figure does not align neatly with others in circulation.
The Disaster Management Centre’s own caseload of more than 84,545 people affected covers divisional secretariat divisions in six named districts, with drinking water going to seven. Ada Derana has separately reported the dry spell as affecting 14 districts.
The three counts measure different things — people registered as affected, districts receiving water, and districts experiencing dry conditions — and none of the bodies involved has reconciled them publicly. The spread matters here because it determines where any nutritional programme would be targeted.
The Health Ministry has not responded to the call. No other verified Sri Lankan newsroom had carried Dr. Sanjeewa’s warning as of Saturday evening.
