In drought-stricken Sri Lanka, farmers watch wells empty and wildlife crowd shrinking water holes

MEDIRIGIRIYA, Sri Lanka (AP) — When the decades-long civil war that forced Samantha Pushpakumara from his village in north-central Sri Lanka ended, he was finally able to return home to a life of farming that he thought would give his family a stable future. That was until the rains didn’t come. Sri Lanka has been mired in drought for months, leading to severe water shortages that have left reservoirs dry and strained farming communities that depend on seasonal monsoons.

Making matters worse, temperatures in many parts of the country have been higher than usual and high humidity has exacerbated the heat stress. “We feel like we are being hit from every side,” Pushpakumara said. “If there is no water and we have to give up farming, we will have nothing left to live on.” Climate experts say the lack of rain is likely due in part to a strong El Niño — a natural temporary warming of ocean waters that shifts weather patterns across the globe — combined with warmer temperatures driven partly by human-caused climate change.

Sri Lanka receives rain from two main monsoon systems. The southwest monsoon, which runs roughly from May to September, normally supplies up to 30% of the country’s annual rainfall, but this year there has been little rainfall through late September. “We cannot say exactly whether it’s due to climate change, since we need more evidence.

But these kinds of events are increasing in recent years,” said Gayana Krishanthi Hendawitharana, a climate scientist at Sri Lanka’s weather department. Recent showers have brought some relief to parts of the island. However, climate experts say scattered rain will not be enough to restore reservoirs and groundwater after months of dryness.

The country’s 74 reservoirs have hovered around one-third full in recent weeks, resulting in water rationing in many parts of the island. And it isn’t only humans feeling the impact. The drought has also diminished water and food sources for wildlife in the country’s forests.

Authorities are using water tankers and underground pipes to replenish watering holes inside some wildlife reserves. Fields without water and a landscape transformed In Medirigiriya, one of the most affected areas, rice farming is central to life. Roads run between villages and broad paddy fields, while small vegetable plots sit beside homes.