Reservoir Water Levels Drop to 34.7% Amid Dry Spell

COLOMBO (News1st); The National Water Supply and Drainage Board states that a project has been launched to extract groundwater as a solution to the drinking water issues in the Batticaloa and Monaragala districts.

Its Chairman, Chandana Bandara, said that approximately 60 tube wells are currently under construction in the Monaragala district under this initiative.

He further stated that steps have also been taken to construct tube wells in the Batticaloa district.

The Disaster Management Centre stated that drinking water is being provided to over 75,000 affected people across seven districts.

The dry weather has impacted residents in seven districts, including numerous Divisional Secretariat divisions across Badulla, Polonnaruwa, Hambantota, Ratnapura, Batticaloa, and Ampara. The total number of affected individuals in these districts has surpassed 84,545.

Due to the dry weather, the water levels in reservoirs under the Irrigation Department have further dropped to 34.7%.

The Irrigation Department noted that reservoir capacities in the Ampara district have experienced the most severe decline, standing at 21.7%. Meanwhile, water levels have fallen to 25.6% in Batticaloa and 26.8% in Trincomalee.

Water storage in several major reservoirs including Muruthawela, Morawewa, Kaudulla, Athimale, Weerawila, Veheragala, Unnachchai, Morana, Nagadeepa, and Rottikulam has now dropped below 20%.

Under the current circumstances, the Irrigation Department stated that measures are being taken to release water with maximum management efficiency for drinking water supplies.