Oct 04, Colombo: The Mahaweli Authority of Sri Lanka says that water in the reservoirs under the Mahaweli scheme are now being released only for drinking purposes.

The Authority had made the decision taking into consideration the critical water levels at the main reservoirs.

Director General of the Mahaweli Authority Gamini Rajakaruna has told the media that the water level at the Victoria Reservoir was down to just 6.3 percent of its capacity.

The water level at the Randenigala Reservoir is at 9.5 percent of capacity while the Kotmale Reservoir is at 33 percent.

The Authority is also facing a dilemma over providing water for the cultivation of the next Maha season.

The low water levels has made it impossible to release water for cultivation purposes since priority has to be given to the provision of drinking water to the dry zone.

The districts of Anuradhapura, Polonnaruwa, Puttalam and Hambantota have been badly hit by the drought weather conditions.

The agriculture sector in the dry zone has been suffering due to the drought for the past few months and Sri Lanka's Central Bank lowered country's economic growth forecast due to the prolonged drought.