- Drinking water prioritised: NWSDB
Drinking water will be given priority over agricultural and hydropower requirements if reservoir levels continue to decline, as irrigation reservoirs currently hold only around 35–40% of their capacity due to the prevailing drought conditions, according to National Water Supply and Drainage Board (NWSDB) Chairman Chandana Bandara.
“Right now, the priority is being given to drinking water and not for any agricultural or hydropower purposes,” he said.
However, Bandara stated that there was no immediate threat to drinking water supplies, pointing out that water was no longer being released for major agricultural requirements as the Yala cultivation season had largely ended.
“Within the irrigation reservoirs, about 35–40% water is available,” Bandara told The Sunday Morning, adding that reservoirs managed through the Mahaweli Authority and the Irrigation Department were at a comparatively high level of around 50–55% capacity.
According to Bandara, the end of the Yala season has significantly reduced demand for irrigation water, with current releases being used mainly for drinking-water purposes. Therefore, he said that there was no major issue at present, particularly in areas supplied through the Mahaweli and irrigation systems.
The NWSDB Chairman also stated that there were currently no restrictions on water use, including water cuts, noting that the main areas experiencing water-related concerns were in the Uva and Eastern Provinces.
“No water restrictions have been imposed by the Irrigation Department or Mahaweli Authority. The Western Province has no water-related issue. The issues are only in the Uva and Eastern Provinces,” he added.
Bandara added that the authorities were expecting increased rainfall towards the end of September based on Department of Meteorology forecasts.
Meanwhile, Director General of Agriculture Dr. Thushara Wickramaarachchi said that the agriculture sector was not facing any immediate pressure from declining water availability. “Almost everything has been harvested; only about 1–2% remains. The Mahaweli and Irrigation authorities have agreed to provide the water required for that portion of remaining cultivation,” Wickramaarachchi said.
“There are no cultivation restrictions. However, we are preparing for the upcoming Maha season, during which we will have water issues and we have prepared separate programmes in that regard.”
Irrigation Department Director of Water Management Eng. H.M.P.S.D. Herath stated that water allocations among agriculture, drinking water, and hydropower varied depending on the irrigation scheme. “Currently, there are no water restrictions on either agriculture or drinking requirements, but it is better to use water sparingly and efficiently,” he said.
According to official data from the Irrigation Department, water storage across Sri Lanka’s 74 major reservoirs has fallen to 35% combined capacity, with 1,182,385 acre-feet of water held against a total gross capacity of 3,114,407 acre-feet. Only 1,039,767 acre-feet of the available volume are effectively usable storage, with 142,618 acre-feet being unusable dead storage.