- NWSDB providing 15 litres per person under emergency measures
More than 84,500 people affected by the ongoing dry spell are currently facing water shortages, with over 75,000 people receiving drinking water through emergency distribution arrangements, as authorities rely on a combined fleet of bowsers operated by the National Water Supply and Drainage Board, Disaster Management Centre (DMC), and local authorities to meet the demand.
According to the DMC, 84,545 people belonging to 26,457 families across seven districts and 25 divisional secretariat divisions have been affected by the dry spell. Of these, 75,734 people from 24,144 families are currently receiving drinking water, with water distribution underway in 22 of the affected divisional secretariat divisions.
Speaking to The Sunday Morning, NWSDB Chairman Chandana Bandara said that 15 litres of water were being provided per person under the emergency arrangements.
He noted that the water distribution operation was not handled by the NWSDB alone, with the DMC and local authorities also involved in supplying water to affected communities.
According to Bandara, the NWSDB currently has around 120 water bowsers of its own, while additional bowsers are provided by Local Government (LG) authorities and the DMC. “We have 120 bowsers of our own. In addition, other LG authorities and the DMC also have their own bowsers,” he said.
Bandara said that water distribution was being carried out through multiple institutions, with much of the operation taking place through LG bodies.
Despite the fact that more than 75,000 individuals are receiving drinking water at present, Bandara stated that the current bowser fleet was sufficient to meet demand. “Up to now, the fleet is actually sufficient because the situation is only in Monaragala, Batticaloa, and some areas of Polonnaruwa,” he said, noting that the water shortage requiring bowser distribution was still limited and hence the bowser fleet was sufficient.
The DMC said that Monaragala had the largest number of people affected, with 35,639 people from 11,074 families requiring drinking water. Batticaloa follows with 28,523 affected people from 9,547 families, while Ampara has 8,847 affected people from 2,823 families. Polonnaruwa has 2,646 affected people from 683 families receiving drinking water.