Over 150 small irrigation projects damaged due to rain in Sri Lanka

Over 150 small reservoirs and other irrigation projects have been damaged due to heavy rains, Sri Lanka Ministry of Agrarian Services and Wildlife said. The Commissioner General of Agrarian Services Sunil Weerasinghe said that 25 of the reservoirs are in major paddy cultivation district Anuradhapura. According to the Commissioner General, 128,000 acres of rice cultivation are affected by floods. He said that a part of these cultivations can be saved if rain stops and flood waters recede. The Minsitry is taking measures to re-cultivate these lands, he added. However, the Director General of Irrigation Department Badra Kamaladasa said that the major reservoirs managed by the department have not sustained damages. According to the official, 50 major reservoirs are still spilling. Meanwhile, Ceylon Electricity Board said that Victoria, a major hydropower reservoir, was brimming and two spill gates automatically opened today. The overflowing hydropower reservoirs have boosted the reserve electricity storage capacity to 84 percent.