Public urged to use water sparingly

National Water Supply and Drainage Board (NWSDB), on Thursday (21), urged the public to use water sparingly due to the declining water levels in the rivers used as sources for piped drinking water.

Anoja Kaluarachchi, Deputy General Manager of NWSDB said that they do not expect rains for at least two more months.Kaluarachchi said their main concern was the declining water level in the Kelani River, a critical source of water for Colombo and surrounding areas.

That is one of the areas with a large population density and where the water demand was highest in the country, Kaluarachchi said.Kaluarachchi added that the country had been experiencing dry weather for about six weeks and the water level of other rivers had dropped, impacting the water intake for distribution.

Kaluarachchi said in order to address this, the NWSDB was erecting a temporary intake barrier across the Kelani River.That would ensure continued distribution during the dry season. According to the UN about 60 percent of Sri Lankans have access to pipe borne water. (RK)