President Ranil Wickremesinghe has issued instructions to officials of the relevant departments to investigate and immediately submit a report regarding the illegal release of water from the Samanalawewa reservoir a month ago, was for farming purposes, despite the predictions of the possibility of an El Nino situation.
The President has also instructed the officials to find out as to which institution and with what purpose it had resorted to this action. President Wickremesinghe has called for this report according to a statement by the Ceylon Electricity Board (CEB) authorities that the cause of the Samanalawewa reservoir water issue was due to the release of water at an inopportune time.
The President had been informed that when there was no water issue in the Udawalawe reservoir, water had been released from the Samanalawewa reservoir.
The agricultural authorities had given instructions that of the 25,000 acres being fed by the Udawalawe reservoir; 13,000 acres should be set aside for paddy cultivation and the remaining 12,000 acres for other crops, considering the El Nino weather condition.