According to Water Board Chairman Chandana Bandara, water supply to these areas will be suspended once every four days, with interruptions scheduled on the fifth day. He noted that the duration of the suspension has been reduced from 24 hours to a maximum of 18 hours, although in some instances, outages may last for shorter periods such as 3, 6, 12, or 15 hours. Certain areas may also remain unaffected depending on supply conditions.
The NWSDB stated that consumers will be informed in advance about the specific timing and duration of water cuts via SMS notifications sent to mobile numbers registered for water billing services.
Bandara attributed the decision to the rapid decline in water levels at the Kalatuwawa reservoir, which currently holds sufficient water for only about 20 days. As a precautionary measure, the daily release of water from the reservoir has been reduced from 90,000 cubic meters to 75,000 cubic meters.
Meanwhile, he assured that the Labugama reservoir remains at a more stable level, with water capacity sufficient for approximately 45 days. Therefore, no decision has been taken to impose water supply restrictions in Colombo city at this time.
