(COLOMBO) – The defence authorities on Friday were gearing up for an anticipated drought situation in Sri Lanka and it has announced plans to potential damages that may be caused, according to an official statement.
Forecasts from the Meteorological Department indicate that while there may be sporadic rainfall expected towards the end of March and into April, it is projected to be of low volume, threatening looming drought conditions.
State Minister of Defence Premitha Bandara Tennakoon, underscored the grave consequences of the dry spell, highlighting the heightened risks of wildlife poaching and forest fires and urged citizens to abstain from engaging in such harmful activities.
In addition he called upon the authorities concerned to enforce stringent penalties against individuals found culpable of starting forest fires.
The Defence Ministry remains steadfast in its commitment to preemptively tackle the impacts of the impending drought, emphasizing the imperative of responsible environmental stewardship during this critical juncture. Citizens are urged to cooperate with authorities to ensure the preservation of vital natural resources amidst the challenging conditions, the statement added.
Due to the extremely dry weather prevailing in the western slopes in the central part of the country, the water level in two key reservoirs-Castlereagh and Maussakale reservoirs are dropping rapidly, officials in charge of these two large open water bodies said.
They claimed that by 6 a.m., on Friday the water level of the Castlereagh reservoir had dropped by 25 feet from the overflow level, and the water level of the Maussakale reservoir had dropped by 23 feet from the same level.
