Unfolding El Niño and burning issues

On Thursday 27th August, 2026, the world is anticipating a potentially devastating El Niño event, which is expected to be the strongest ever recorded, said experts. Health, food and energy systems across nations are bracing for extreme weather conditions. Unfortunately, Sri Lanka has a history of ignoring warnings and expert opinions. In contrast to previous instances, the world now knows that El Niño is no longer unpredictable.

Three months ago, the World Meteorological Organization (WMO) issued the first warning of the unfolding El Niño event. Sri Lanka should have immediately taken action, but it failed to do so. The Ministry of Trade, Commerce, Food Security and Cooperative Development hosted a meeting on Tuesday to discuss ways to address potential food availability issues due to El Niño.

Officials present believed that the impact on Sri Lanka might be minimal, but they emphasized the need for action to handle food-related challenges arising from disruptions in agricultural production and price escalations in other countries.

Ministry Secretary K. A. Wimalenthirarajah, Consumer Affairs Authority Chairman Hemantha Samarakoon, Cooperative Wholesale Establishment Chairman Kosala Wilbhava, and Lanka Sathosa Chairman Ravindra Fernando attended the meeting, along with other officials and food importers. The government should involve all stakeholders in devising a strategy to ensure food security, particularly during disasters.

A multi-sectoral approach, including experts from trade, agriculture, irrigation, meteorology, and farmers' organizations, is essential. These discussions must not be optimistic, and the country must always be prepared for the worst-case scenario.

Currently, Sri Lanka is experiencing a severe water crisis, especially in its dry zone, where reservoirs are rapidly drying up, and precipitation remains high in some areas. El Niño often triggers extreme and erratic weather patterns, making mitigation efforts critical. Experts recommend several urgent steps Sri Lanka must take, such as strengthening early-warning systems, adjusting planting dates and crop choices, promoting drought- and heat-resistant crops, enhancing irrigation efficiency, increasing water harvesting and storage, diversifying agriculture and rural incomes, and fortifying food storage and distribution systems.

Rainwater harvesting should be promoted nationwide as a national priority to mitigate water issues. Currently, Sri Lanka loses between 20% to 30% of its fruits and vegetables post-harvest, while wildlife is responsible for about 40% of annual crop damage. Drought has severely impacted food crops in the dry zone, with paddy being particularly affected.

The government needs to focus on maintaining paddy buffer stocks and stop diverting paddy production to animal feed or beer. The current El Niño event is anticipated to last until early 2027, and its effects will linger beyond this timeframe.