When the Rain Stops: Villages, Livestock and Wildlife Fight for Survival

Report Summary

Prolonged dry weather across Sri Lanka's dry zone has caused severe water scarcity, damaging more than 8,000 acres of paddy cultivation across districts including Monaragala, Polonnaruwa, Hambantota, Anuradhapura, and Ampara. Reservoirs and wewas have dried up, devastating crops, reducing milk production, slowing freshwater fishing, and forcing wildlife like elephants into human settlements in search of water. In response, the Government is distributing drinking water to affected residents in Monaragala and Batticaloa, while Agricultural and Agrarian Insurance Board Chairman Premasiri Jasinghearachchi announced a Rs. 3 billion compensation program offering Rs. 100,000 per hectare for affected crops starting next Friday.