Sri Lanka enters El Niño phase, braces for weather extremes

Colombo, July 02 (Daily Mirror) - Sri Lanka is currently in the El Niño phase, with weather officials warning that the country could experience a series of extreme weather conditions in the coming months, ranging from reduced rainfall and floods to drought.

Additional Director General of the Department of Meteorology Ajith Wijemanne told the Daily Mirror that while the country is already experiencing El Niño conditions, weather patterns are expected to shift significantly over the coming months.

"We are currently in El Niño conditions. There is a 63% probability of a strong El Niño and a 33% probability of a weak El Niño," Wijemanne said.

According to him, the country is expected to receive very little rainfall in August as El Niño begins to influence regional weather patterns.

However, he warned that rainfall is likely to increase during October and November, raising the risk of flooding in some parts of the country depending on the intensity of the weather system.

"In the first phase of next year, weather conditions are expected to shift once again, with the possibility of drought affecting water availability, agriculture and other key sectors," he said.

The developing El Niño conditions and their potential impacts were extensively discussed at the inaugural meeting of the Special Cabinet Subcommittee and Officials' Committee held at the Presidential Secretariat under the chairmanship of Environment Minister Dr. Dammika Patabendi.

Officials noted that Sri Lanka could experience a sequence of weather extremes linked to El Niño, ranging from below-normal rainfall and possible floods to prolonged dry spells.

The committees were appointed by President Anura Kumara Dissanayake to formulate short-, medium- and long-term strategies on food security, water resource management and energy conservation, while strengthening coordination among state institutions.

All relevant ministries and government departments have been instructed to submit action plans within two weeks to prepare for all possible scenarios.

It was also decided that all official information relating to El Niño would be released solely through the Department of Meteorology to avoid conflicting public statements.

The Cabinet Subcommittee comprises Ministers K.D. Lal Kantha, Samantha Vidyarathna, Anura Karunathilaka, Wasantha Samarasinghe and Susil Ranasinghe.