Wednesday, 21 January 2004  
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Preparing for the drought

by Tharuka Dissanaike

So we are complaining of the weather. Again.

This morning I found myself looking at a slightly overcast sky and thrilling at the thought of rain. Then, I checked myself. Was it just over a month ago when we were practically praying for an end to rain and slush? Hoping and waiting for the cool, sunny days of December and January. Just for the record, it did not rain this morning.

The cloud just passed, over parched gardens and dusty roads I almost imagined it grinning diabolically as it sailed along.

Is this nature's revenge? Looking at the inconsistency of the weather patterns over our country in the past year, it looks increasingly as if nature is having its say against constant human meddling in its affairs.

How else can we explain the incessant rains of 2003 suddenly turning into a dry and parched 2004? We are barely two weeks in to January (traditionally known to be the coolest and most comfortable month of the year) and here we are, experiencing conditions that were hitherto known in March. The pundits warn us that a drought is setting in. More rain cannot be expected until late March or April when the inter-monsoon begins. It is frightening to imagine such a scenario when already wells are running dry and the level of the Kelani has dipped drastically from its near-flood-level in November.

By now we have to accept that a drought is upon us. How seriously this will impact on the next three months will be left to the fickle weather gods to decide. But standing on the second week of January and already experiencing the hot, dry weather of early March, we doubtless have to prepare for a tough period ahead.

The Water Board is already issuing ominous warnings of possible shortage- so using less is the key. Not only will water conservation help the situation by saving gallons of supply, it will also train the populace to make do with less which will be essential to survive until the next monsoonal period.

How to we use less water? We can start with basic simple tasks like not letting the water run on taps while brushing teeth, soaping and shaving. Go back to using a mug or cup for water if possible. Kitchen washing up could easily be more efficiently done by rationalizing water use and recycling the used water back to the first wash.

Washing machines are generally not water efficient- try to use machines less. Gardens can be watered with already-used water or taken from another source than the purified, chlorinated drinking-quality water that is supplied through the tap. The same goes for cars and vehicles.

Any leaks should be fixed fast. It is important to remember that water is a precious commodity that comes with a heavy price tagged on- this cost is naturally not reflected on your paltry monthly bill. While it may be the state's responsibility to ensure that people have access to clean potable water, the public has an equal responsibility to stem wastage- especially now when we are looking at a near-certain water supply shortage.

For many of us in Colombo, drought may translate to a dried up lawn or lack of water to wash the family car. But few of us are aware that the north-east monsoon has utterly failed this year. The monsoon brought with it just a few days of rain in November and petered off to a near-dry December and a parched January. December and January are usually rainy months in the dry zone. Over 70% of the country's land area where agriculture is the mainstay, depend on this monsoon. Farmers from a remote hamlet off Tissamaharama were left shaking their heads at the near empty irrigation tank.

"This is the first time in so long that we have had no rain in December," I was told. "We cannot cultivate a paddy crop with this water." For these people the drought translates to lack of food, money, malnutrition and a slide in to new depths of poverty.

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