Key facts
- Sri Lanka is facing a severe drought driven by El Nino, with rainfall deficits of up to 100% in key farming areas.
- Farmer A.M. Pathmasena reported his well is nearly dry, barely supplying water for his family and livestock.
- The government is providing water deliveries to tens of thousands of affected residents.
- Many farmers have lost their income, with some skipping meals due to the crisis.
- Water levels in hundreds of small tanks, rivers, and lakes have dropped to approximately 10%.
Sri Lanka is grappling with one of its most severe droughts in decades, exacerbated by the El Nino weather pattern. Farmer A.M. Pathmasena described his well running so low that it can barely supply his family and livestock, a situation mirrored across the nation's farming regions. Rainfall deficits have reached as high as 100% in some areas, causing critical water sources like small tanks, rivers, and lakes to dry up, with levels dropping to around 10%.
The government has initiated water delivery services to tens of thousands of people, with some remote households waiting up to 23 days for supplies. Residents are rationing water for essential tasks like bathing, cooking, and cleaning. The drought has devastated farmers' incomes; Pathmasena reported losing his entire earnings from growing cowpeas, forcing him to seek daily wages and his son to close his chicken farm due to heat and water scarcity. Many families are skipping meals as a result of the economic hardship.
El Nino, characterized by unusually warm sea-surface temperatures in the Pacific, often leads to drier conditions in Asia. Forecasters predict this year's El Nino could be one of the strongest on record, intensifying the current crisis.