More than 10,000 lakes in the island have dried up completely due to the current drought and the water level in all the main reservoirs has decreased by 35–40 percent, Sri Lanka Agriculture Minister Mahinda Amaraweera said.
According to the allocations received by the department, work has already begun to restore the damaged tanks before the monsoon rains, he said.
Due to the ongoing El Nino process, it is assumed that there will be good rainfall during the next season, while the next season after that will be dry again, the Meteorology Department has emphasised.
Therefore, the Minister said by renovating these tanks before the monsoon, more water can be stored and the farmers’ problems can be greatly resolved.
