The Victoria reservoir is grappling with a substantial loss of water, with an alarming 6.5 million liters evaporating daily in the wake of severe dry and hot weather. Wasantha Ehelapitiya, the engineer overseeing the reservoir, attributes this significant loss directly to the harsh weather conditions.
Ehelapitiya explained that the intense sunlight, exacerbated by the current dry weather, is primarily responsible for the rapid evaporation. Despite being at 80 percent of its full capacity, the reservoir is experiencing a daily evaporation rate of 4.5 mm across its vast surface area spanning 24 square kilometers.
Highlighting the current water levels, Ehelapitiya noted that while the maximum capacity of the reservoir stands at 438.4 meters above sea level, the current water level is recorded at 432.59 meters. Furthermore, he disclosed that over the past 17 days, 4.143 million cubic meters of water have been released from the reservoir to generate 1.691 gigawatt hours of electricity.
