Use water sparingly as El Niño raises drought risk: Irrigation Department

By Mangala Pavithrani   

The Irrigation Department has urged farmers and the public to use irrigation and drinking water carefully as Sri Lanka faces a higher risk of drought and rising temperatures due to the expected El Niño weather pattern. 

Director of the Water Management Division H.M.P.S.D. Herath told the Daily Mirror that the total water storage in the country’s 80 major reservoirs currently stands at around 48 per cent.   

He said the available water is expected to be sufficient for the ongoing Yala cultivation season, but authorities have prepared special water management plans to ensure priority water releases if dry conditions continue and affect the upcoming Maha season.   

“The current water supply is enough for the Yala season, but we must manage it carefully to reduce the impact on the next Maha season,” Herath said.   

He said the department has already launched several short- and long-term programmes to tackle the impacts of climate change.   

These include accelerating the rehabilitation of traditional “Ellanga tank systems” in the dry zone and continuing the North Central Province Canal (NCP Canal) Project to divert excess water to drought-prone areas.    The department is also introducing modern technology to minimise water wastage, including automatic gate systems for irrigation canals and water-level sensors to monitor reservoir levels in real time.   

Meanwhile, data from the Hydrology and Disaster Management Division shows that water levels in major river basins, including the Kelani, Kalu, Gin, Nilwala and Malwathu Oya rivers, remain at normal levels, with no immediate flood risk reported.   

However, Herath warned that river water levels could decline rapidly if the expected dry weather persists.    He advised farmers to plan cultivation activities carefully and consider crops that require less water.   The department also called on the public to support water conservation efforts and use water responsibly, as several districts have already recorded heat index levels requiring caution.