Sri Lanka: Officials plan 16-hour water outages in and around Colombo city from morning May 19

Event

The National Water Supply and Drainage Board (NWSDB) has announced a 16-hour water supply outages in the Gampaha and Kalutara districts May 19-20. Water services in Gampaha District will be disrupted from 08:30 May 19-00:30 May 20. Several areas of Gampaha will be affected, including the Wattala and Peliyagoda areas of Colombo, as well as other locations north of Colombo, such as Ja-Ela and Katunayake. The water disruptions will also impact parts of Kalutara District, which covers areas south of Colombo, 08:00 May 19-00:01 May 20; affected areas will include Kalutara, Nagoda, and Wadduwa. The NWSDB says the disruptions are due to maintenance works. Delays in works may prolong the suspension of supplies.

Business disruptions are possible during the outage, especially for companies that depend on large quantities of municipal water to maintain operations. Residents typically rely on private water tankers during outages.

Advice

Stock up on drinking water in advance. Confirm alternative water supplies for business operations. Pressure and water quality may be poor after service resumes; run taps for several minutes before using water. Use only bottled water from reputable suppliers for drinking and hygienic purposes.

Resources

National Water Supply and Drainage Board