Water supply is currently restricted in some areas including Anuradhapura, Polonnaruwa and Kurunegala, as a result of the prolonged dry spell, an official from the National Water Supply and Drainage Board said yesterday.
Its Deputy General Manager, Anoja Kaluarachchi said water supply for some areas outside Colombo and Gampaha District has been restricted as of now by a few hours. “There is no issue with the water supply in Colombo and Gampaha as there is water for two months. The Department of Meteorology had informed us that the dry spell will end by mid-October. Therefore there is no issue in these two districts,” she said.
“We have already begun supplying water through bowsers. There are more than 300 bowsers at the both Water Supply and Drainage Board and the Disaster Management Centre and all these will be utilised if the need arises,” she added.
“It has been estimated that around 54,000 water schemes have been affected and it is estimated that 55,000 others are also going to be affected soon,” she further said.
“There are a few issues associated with the dry spell which includes the flow of seawater into the tanks and reservoirs which are close to the sea and the decline of the quality of water. We have done our best to minimize the effects of these situations,” Ms. Kaluarachchi assured.
Meanwhile, Minister of Water Management Jeewan Thondaman who also participated in the briefing, requested the general public to use water sparingly. “Prioritize your water usage and don’t use water to wash your vehicles etc.,” he said.(Yohan Perera)
courtesy dailymirror
