WATER CRISIS IN NUWARA ELIYA DUE TO UNCHECKED CONTAMINATION ACTIVITIES

Nuwara Eliya Municipal Council is primarily responsible for ensuring safety regarding food, drinking water, and accommodation | Despite the presence of water sources in the city, they aren't sufficient to meet the basic needs of the population | Nuwara Eliya Municipal Council confirms that to date no organization has issued a certificate guaranteeing the quality of drinking water | Drinking water needs of some areas of the Nuwara Eliya Municipality are met through water from Lover's Leap falls which is generally safe.

- Prageeth Sampath Karunathilaka and Sudharika Gurusinghe

Nuwara Eliya holds a special place as a tourist destination. Two of the main attractions are the extremely cold climate and the picturesque Gregory Lake. Both local and foreign visitors flock to this town during the festive season to absorb the atmosphere. Nuwara Eliya Municipal Council is primarily responsible for ensuring the town's safety and ensuring that the food, drinking water, and accommodation of tourists meet the required standards.

Around 8,000 families reside within the Nuwara Eliya Municipal Council area, with tourism being their main source of income. Much of the tourist activity occurs during December, January, and the Sinhala New Year, while during other seasons the town sees a surge of visitors only during long weekends.

Nuwara Eliya Municipal Council demonstrates unwavering commitment to the comfort and services provided to those visiting the city.

However, there is an issue behind this commitment. The authorities here are not giving sufficient attention to problems that have crop up related to water in Nuwara Eliya. Despite the city's cold climate and the presence of water sources, they are not sufficient to meet the basic water needs of the population.

Situated at a high altitude (approximately 1,868 metres), Nuwara Eliya has an average annual temperature of 16 degrees Celsius. During the winter months (January to March), nights can become extremely cold, and on some mornings, flowers with frost on them are visible. On such days, the minimum temperature can drop below 4 degrees Celsius. During this time, when the sun is directly overhead, temperatures rise, and it can feel extremely warm, with readings sometimes exceeding 26 degrees Celsius. The first intermonsoon period occurs in March and April, followed by the southwest monsoon from May to September.

During these months, rain often falls day and night, accompanied by strong south-westerly winds, and wet weather can persist for extended periods.