Sri Lanka: 10-hour-long water cut imposed in Colombo

Several parts of the Colombo city will undergo a 10-hour- long water cut on Saturday, Sri Lanka media reports said citing the National Water Supply and Drainage Board (NWSDB) of the country.

The report said that the water cut will be effective from today at 10.00 pm and extend till 8.00 am on Sunday morning. It has been imposed due to the maintenance work, reported the Daily Mirror.

The supply in four areas of the city will be completely interrupted while two areas will experience low-pressure water supply, the board said while advising people to store the required amount of water and use it cautiously.

Presently, Sri Lanka is facing its worst economic and political crisis in four decades which has largely affected the essential services.

With fuel shortages, soaring prices, and power cuts affecting a large number of the citizens, the impending food crisis amid this will put the country in a mess when it is already grappling with other challenges.

Prime Minister Ranil Wickremesinghe on Thursday said that Sri Lanka is one of the few nations which is expected to go without food in the global food shortage which is expected within this year, reported the Daily Mirror.

"FAO has named a few nations including Sri Lanka and Afghanistan which are expected to go without food," the Prime Minister said.

He asked the people of the country to be prepared for the food shortage and said that in order to deal with this crisis, Sri Lanka will have to cultivate food crops in abandoned crops, even in the city of Colombo, reported the Daily Mirror.

"There are many lands belonging to the Railways Department which are neglected and can be used to grow food. I will talk to the World Bank to get some assistance," the PM added.

We also have a greenhouse, he said, adding that it is essential for Sri Lanka to make 2023 a year of agriculture.

The country's economy has been in a free-fall since the onset of the COVID-19 pandemic, leading to the crash of the tourism sector. The country is also facing a foreign exchange shortage as it borrowed billions of dollars from China, burdening itself with hefty loans.