The Power and Renewable Energy Ministry said the current dry spell has already impacted the power supply of the country. Development Director Sulakshana Jaywardena noted that the daily demand for energy is being met with difficulty.   

“Due to the prevailing dry weather, the demand during the day is drastically increasing,” Jayawardena said. “We have to manage the power supply with the water available in the reservoirs, but we cannot use it for power supply only,” he stressed.   

According to Jayawardena several high-priorities including drinking water, irrigation requirements and maintenance of minimum environmental flow have to be managed with the water resources in these reservoirs. “Therefore hydropower generation will be reduced,” he noted adding that the situation is expected to remain the same until the commencement of the
monsoon season.    

 
Moussakele and Castlereagh reservoirs are the main sources of water for the generation of hydro-electricity in Sri Lanka. Following a considerable decrease in water levels in these reservoirs, the Ceylon Electricity Board (CEB) earlier this month requested the public to consume electricity sparingly. 

 
According to the Water Management Secretariat the Kotmale reservoir’s effective storage capacity is at 51.6% with Castlereigh reservoir at 51.8% and Moussakele reservoir at 62.1%. “In response we have to run thermal power which is expensive and an additional burden to the economy,” Jayawardena said. 

The state owned CEB meanwhile has proposed to connect 300 Megawatts(MW) additional capacity as a contingency measurement and extend several power purchase agreements, connected into system last year. As of 2019, 170MW out of 320MW has been added to the system as extension of existing power plants.  

Jayawardena said that the CEB also offers the opportunity for ‘bulk customers’ who possess generators as a reserve energy source, to generate and use their own energy during this time period, under the self-generation scheme, for which they will be reimbursed by the CEB.   

 “We have repeatedly requested consumers to bring electricity wastage to a minimum and to also use energy efficient appliances.” Jayawardena said. “Consumers can avoid using certain equipment during peak hours from 6 pm to 10 pm. For instance, we urge the public to iron clothes after 10 pm or before 6 pm. It won’t save energy, but it certainly gives some relief to the system. We can’t reduce the demand, but we can hope to ease the burden,” he opined.  

“The current energy demand in Sri Lanka ranges from 2,400MW to 2,500MW. As the dry spell continues into March, we expect this demand to increase up to 2,600MW or more,” he said.   

A  2019 report on the cost of droughts, floods and related healthcare in Sri Lanka compiled by the Asian Development Bank released last year, states that for the period between 1974 – 2008, the Sri Lankan government reported 285 events of drought. It also adds that regional climate model projections for future temperatures predict increases for Sri Lanka: 1°C–1.1°C by 2030, and 2.3°C–3.6°C by 2080. The report also warned that as droughts decrease food production, in poor regions, it may also result in malnutrition and associated health risks. Floods and droughts can also cause health spillovers into unaffected populations in disaster-affected regions since health consequences occur through complex interactions, it warned.