General

The Irrigation Department has issued a warning that river and reservoir water levels may rise quickly if Sri Lanka faces heavy rainfall from the low-pressure system in the Bay of Bengal to the southeast. During a special media briefing on the weather conditions this morning (08), Engineer L.S. Sooriyabandara, the Director of Hydrology and Disaster Management at the Department of Irrigation, mentioned that forecasts suggest potential flooding in several districts. He highlighted that heavy rain in Ampara, Batticaloa, Anuradhapura, Polonnaruwa, and Trincomalee, as well as in northern regions, could cause flooding within the next few days, even in areas without big rivers. As a result, the public is advised to stay alert. Engineer Sooriyabandara noted that currently, water levels in many reservoirs are safe, with about 80% to 90% of their capacity being used. He pointed out that the spill gates of 25 out of 73 major reservoirs and 24 medium reservoirs in Eastern, Northern, North-Central, Central, Southern, and Uva provinces are open at this time. He added that although some gates were opened yesterday (07) and today, there is still a good buffer capacity in the reservoirs. If rain continues, more gates may need to be opened. Additionally, six reservoirs, including Loggal Oya, Hapola Oya, Maduru Oya, Kandalama, Kala Oya, and Kalu Ganga, are currently spilling. Nilantha Dhanapala, the Director of the Water Management Secretariat at the Mahaweli Authority of Sri Lanka, reported that reservoirs under their management are at about 95% of their water capacity, while the Kotmale Reservoir is at 59%.