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| Sunday, 09 March 2003 |
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| News Business Features Editorial
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Water cuts in the offing unless... by ANTON NONIS With water levels in the main reservoirs of Kalatuwawa, Ambatale and Labugama dropping drastically the National Water Supply and Drainage Board is hard pressed to avoid imposing water cuts in the city and suburbs during the coming weeks. According to Assistant General Manager, Ambatale reservoir, Ranjith Perera, the Kalatuwawa reservoir recorded a drop of about 29 feet below the 42 ft spill level, while Labugama had recorded four feet below the 40 ft spill. The Kelani river is also showing signs of water levels dropping to just one foot above mean sea level. Until recently Kalatuwawa and Labugama were the main reservoirs which supplied the city and suburbs. But the Kelani river now supplies 75 per cent of the city's water requirements. According to Perera, disruption to the water supply in the city last week had been caused by an electrical cable fault in the treatment plant at Ambatale. A similar fault also occurred during January with disruption persisting for three days. In order to overcome shortcomings of this nature, the authorities have fitted an additional electrical cable. "The extra cable makes possible the supply and distribution of water without interruption," Ranjith Perera said. Drought conditions in most parts of the country are being identified as the cause for the drop in water levels in Kalatuwawa, Labugama and Ambatale. Both Kalatuwawa and Labugama are fed by Wak-oya, to which rain is the main source of water. But drought conditions during the past weeks have caused the water level in the oya to drop considerably. According to Water Management officials at Ambatale, the situation will worsen if the drought persists. The daily demand for water in the city and the suburbs is 130 million gallons, of which 15 million are supplied by the Kalatuwawa reservoir, eight million by Labugama, and the balance by the Kelani river. Adding to the concerns of the WS&DB, the Meteorology Department said that heavy rains were doubtful over any area of the island until the South-West monsoon sets in towards the third week of May. `Met' Director N.A. Amaradasa said that January, February, March and most of April are usually dry months. The failure of the previous South-West monsoon has also contributed to the present dry conditions. He said some thunderstorms could be expected towards the end of April, which may bring spells of rain which might help the water levels in Kalatuwawa and Labugama. He said that in the past few months, only sparse showers had been recorded. According to Ranjith Perera, if the level of water in the Kelani river drops further, water in the upper reaches might have to be released to meet the daily requirement. About 110 million gallons of water are drawn daily from the Kelani river for purification at the treatment plant at Ambatale. But it may not be possible to draw this quantity if the level in the river drops still further. The change of tide is said to increase the salinity of water when the level is too low. The Ambatale water management officer urges consumers to use water with care to avert water cuts in the coming weeks. |
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