Sri Lanka warns of drought and flood risks linked to El Nino

Sri Lanka's environment minister warned on 23 July that the country was heading for a severe drought followed by potentially damaging floods because of the El Nino weather phenomenon.

Environment Minister Dhammika Patabendi said Sri Lanka was managing irrigation and drinking water reserves as authorities expected a severe dry spell until the end of September. He said people should use drinking water sparingly, with shortages expected over the next two months.

Scientists say climate change is increasing the frequency and intensity of extreme weather events around the world. The return of El Nino this year, which warms surface temperatures in the central and eastern equatorial Pacific Ocean, is expected to change wind and rainfall patterns.

Patabendi said a north-east monsoon beginning in October could cause widespread flooding. He said farmers had been advised to begin the main rice cultivation season in early October, about two weeks earlier than usual.

He said cultivation should start earlier and that better flood management was needed to protect crops, especially rice.

The government has not yet estimated the possible economic loss from El Nino's effects, but it has set up a ministerial task force to mitigate the impact.

Officials said the country's hydro reservoirs were at 57 percent capacity. They said water would be conserved by using solar power to meet electricity demand during the day.

Intense rain could trigger mudslides in mountainous regions that were badly affected in November after Cyclone Ditwah. The destruction from Ditwah affected almost the entire island of 22 million people, killed nearly 650 people, and caused infrastructure damage that the World Bank estimated at about $4.1 billion.