News

Weather wreaks havoc on vegetable cultivations

Published

4 years ago

2021/12/17

By Rathindra Kuruwita

Heavy rains in the upcountry have had a devastating impact on the supply of vegetables, Prashan Rajapakshe, Manager – Welisara economic Centre says.

Rajapaksa told the media yesterday that Nuwara Eliya had been experiencing torrential rains for three months almost continuously and that had reduced the quality and quantity of the agricultural produce as well as the extent of the land area under cultivation.

Rajapakshe said that low country vegetables were seasonal unlike the upcountry varieties. Therefore in certain times of the year the supply of low country produced vegetables dropped drastically and that had been the case for decades.

“Right now, there is a shortage of low country vegetables because this is the beginning of the planting season. Farmers have just started planting crops in the main low country farming areas and their produce will only come to the market after 15 January 2022,” he said.

There was also a drop in the supply of upcountry vegetables and it was mainly due to the continual rains in the Central Province, he said, adding that in the month of November, there had been only three days of sunshine in Nuwara Eliya.

“The first week of December was dry but it has been raining since. This affects vegetable production in many ways. If we take Nuwara Eliya for example, there are farms located on the sides of hills and in the lowlands. Due to the heavy rains a lot of cultivations on hill sides have been destroyed by landslides. The cultivations in the low-lying areas have been flooded. This has caused significant damages to the produce,” he said.

The lack of sunshine had also affected the quality and the volume of the vegetables, Rajapakshe said. Consumers judge upcountry vegetables by their colour and the lack of sunshine affected their colours, he said.

“The heavy rains are affecting the cultivation in the low country too. There are heavy rains in many agricultural hubs and the farming is going slow. Mahaweli H Zone, Puttalam, Embilipitiya are among the main zones of agriculture in the low country. If one area is affected by any reason there is a serious effect on the supply of vegetables,”Rajapakshe said.

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Heat Index at Caution Level in the Western, Sabaragamuwa, Southern, Eastern, North-western, Northern and North-central provinces and in Monaragala district.

Published

21 mins ago

2026/04/10

Priyan

Warm Weather Advisory
Issued by the Natural Hazards Early Warning Centre
Issued at 3.30 p.m. on 09 April 2026, valid for 10 April 2026.

The Heat index, the temperature felt on human body is likely to increase up to ‘Caution level’ at some places in the Western, Sabaragamuwa, Southern, Eastern, North-western, Northern and North-central provinces and in Monaragala district.

The Heat Index Forecast is calculated by using relative humidity and maximum temperature and this is the condition that is felt on your body. This is not the forecast of maximum temperature. It is generated by the Department of Meteorology for the next day period and prepared by using global numerical weather prediction model data.

Effect of the heat index on human body is mentioned in the above table and it is prepared on the advice of the Ministry of Health and Indigenous Medical Services.

ACTION REQUIRED
Job sites: Stay hydrated and takes breaks in the shade as often as possible.
Indoors: Check up on the elderly and the sick.
Vehicles: Never leave children unattended.
Outdoors: Limit strenuous outdoor activities, find shade and stay hydrated.
Dress: Wear lightweight and white or light-colored clothing.

Note:
In addition, please refer to advisories issued by the Disaster Preparedness & Response Division, Ministry of Health in this regard as well. For further clarifications please contact 011-7446491.

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Sun directly overhead Chilaw, Bingiriya, Halmillawewa, Panduwasnuwara, Gokarella, Kawudupelella, Koppaveli and Kirankulam about 12:12 noon. today (09)

Published

21 hours ago

2026/04/9

Priyan

On the apparent northward relative motion of the sun, it is going to be directly over the latitudes of Sri Lanka from the 05th to 15th of April this year.

The nearest areas of Sri Lanka over which the sun is overhead today (09th) are Chilaw, Bingiriya, Halmillawewa, Panduwasnuwara, Gokarella, Kawudupelella, Koppaveli and Kirankulam about 12:12 noon.

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Heat Index at Caution Level in the Western, Sabaragamuwa, Southern, Eastern, North-western, Northern and North-central provinces and in Monaragala district

Published

22 hours ago

2026/04/9

Priyan

Warm Weather Advisory
Issued by the Natural Hazards Early Warning Centre
Issued at 4.30 p.m. on 08 April 2026, valid for 09 April 2026.

The Heat index, the temperature felt on human body is likely to increase up to ‘Caution level’ at some places in the Western, Sabaragamuwa, Southern, Eastern, North-western, Northern and North-central provinces and in Monaragala district.

Effect of the heat index on human body is mentioned in the above table and it is prepared on the advice of the Ministry of Health and Indigenous Medical Services.

ACTION REQUIRED
Job sites: Stay hydrated and takes breaks in the shade as often as possible.
Indoors: Check up on the elderly and the sick.
Vehicles: Never leave children unattended.
Outdoors: Limit strenuous outdoor activities, find shade and stay hydrated.
Dress: Wear lightweight and white or light-colored clothing.

Note:
In addition, please refer to advisories issued by the Disaster Preparedness & Response Division, Ministry
of Health in this regard as well. For further clarifications please contact 011-7446491.