Key facts
- Yala National Park is implementing emergency water management measures due to a severe drought.
- Tourists will be banned from watering holes and busy areas of the park starting next week.
- The closure is intended to ensure animals suffering from heat stress have unimpeded access to water.
- Sri Lanka is facing its worst dry spell in nearly a decade and anticipates more difficult conditions due to El Nino.
- The El Nino weather pattern is expected to bring heavier rains in late 2023 and a second major drought from February onwards.
Sri Lanka's Yala National Park is implementing emergency measures to combat a severe drought, including banning tourists from key watering areas starting next week. Wildlife ranger Sujeewa Nishantha stated the closure is necessary to ensure animals suffering from heat stress have easy access to water without disturbance.
The park, a major tourist attraction and source of foreign currency for the country, faces a month-long closure of its most visited sections. This decision comes as Sri Lanka grapples with its worst dry spell in nearly a decade and prepares for the anticipated impacts of the El Nino weather pattern.