Water crisis in Mahaweli zone deepens

Water crisis in Mahaweli zone deepens
By Hansani Bandara

National Water Supply and Drainage Board (NWSDB) chairman Karunasena Hettiarchchi said the water supply to the Northern and North Central provinces had been badly hit because of the low water levels in reservoirs.

The water levels in the reservoirs in the Mahaweli zones are dangerously low, officials have
warned.

They said the low water levels were posing a threat not only to agriculture but also to drinking
water supplies.

The Mahaweli Authority said the levels in reservoirs in the North Central and Central provinces
had dropped drastically with the active storage level or the usable water capacity of the Kotmale
reservoir being 33.9 per cent, Victoria 6.3 per cent, Randenigala 9.5 per cent, Rantembe 10 per
cent, Rajangana 7.3 per cent and Huruluwewa 0.6 per cent.Meanwhile, National Water Supply
and Drainage Board (NWSDB) chairman Karunasena Hettiarchchi said the water supply to the
Northern and North Central provinces had been badly hit because of the low water levels in
reservoirs.

He said the NWSDB was making optimal use of the available water resources to provide an
uninterrupted water supply, adding that a 20 per cent water tariff aimed at curtailing water
consumption would come into effect from tomorrow.

 For domestic users, the revised tariff will be Rs. 16 for 6-10 units, Rs. 20 for 11-15 units, Rs.
40 for 16-20 units, Rs. 58 for 20-25 units, Rs. 88 for 26-30 units, Rs. 105 for 31-40 units, Rs.
140 for 41-50 units, Rs. 130 for 51-75 units and Rs. 140 for units above 75.