Two spill gates of the Rajanganaya Reservoir have been opened by three feet each, and residents living downstream along the Kala Oya have been warned to watch for changes in water levels.
The Irrigation Department said the gates were raised because of the prevailing rainy weather and increased inflows to the reservoir, the Daily Mirror reported. Water is being released into the Kala Oya at a rate exceeding 1,600 cubic feet per second.
The Director of Irrigation (Water Management) advised people living along the banks of the river below the reservoir to remain alert to fluctuations in the water level, and to follow announcements issued by the Irrigation Department and disaster management authorities about any further changes to the gate openings.
Where this sits in the week’s releases
The Rajanganaya release is the second major one reported in two days. Eight gates at the Deduru Oya reservoir were open as of Tuesday morning after a release that began at four, and the overflow there suspended services on the Northern railway line for about three hours before the track reopened.
The Department of Meteorology has forecast fairly heavy showers above 75mm in parts of the Southern and Uva provinces. Rajanganaya sits in the Anuradhapura district, in the North Central dry zone, and the Kala Oya runs west from it to the sea near Wilpattu.
A caution on the gate count
Rajanganaya spill-gate openings are a recurring item in Sri Lankan reporting and the number of gates varies widely between episodes — earlier rounds this year and in previous seasons have involved four gates and, on one occasion, sixteen. This report concerns only the two-gate release announced on 3 November. Figures from earlier openings are not carried over, and readers comparing coverage should check the date before treating a gate count as current.
Not reported
The filing does not give the reservoir’s current storage level or capacity, does not name the divisional secretariats or villages most exposed, and does not say whether any evacuation or relocation has been advised. It does not state how long the release is expected to continue, or whether further gates may be opened.
The Daily Mirror spells the reservoir “Rajangana”; this desk uses Rajanganaya, the spelling that predominates in its own archive and in Irrigation Department usage. No other verified newsroom had filed on Tuesday’s release at the time of writing, and Ada Derana — which has carried previous Rajanganaya openings — remains unreachable from this desk.