Sri Lanka sends monks skyward to summon rain amid severe drought
COLOMBO: Sri Lanka’s Air Force said on Sunday it had flown Buddhist monks who prayed and sprinkled holy water over drought-hit areas in an attempt to encourage rain.
Sri Lanka's Air Force has flown Buddhist monks to sprinkle holy water over drought-stricken areas in a bid to invoke rain, according to the nation's Air Force. The meteorological department has cautioned that both severe drought and heavy rains are expected during the remainder of this year as Sri Lanka grapples with its worst El Nino climate phenomenon.
Three saffron-robed monks participated in the flight on Saturday evening, chanting prayers to seek relief from the drought, while airmen dispatched holy water from five-liter plastic bottles. An Air Force official informed AFP that the monks were transported in a Y-12 fixed-wing aircraft. The air force described the act as a "symbolic gesture of compassion" as the country endures the adverse effects of dry weather.
While the monks prayed for rain over drought-affected regions, the meteorological department has forecast heavy downpours in other parts of the South Asian nation, home to 22 million people. At Yala, Sri Lanka's largest wildlife park in the southeast, two out of six visitor zones have been closed due to the drought. Climate experts predict that these dry conditions will transition into heavy rainfall from late September until December, but these rains are expected to give way to a prolonged drought early next year.
Water reservoirs, including those supporting hydroelectric power stations, currently stand at around 50% capacity, according to officials. This is a positive situation compared to previous years, but there are concerns about the intensification of drought conditions next year, as forecast. Sri Lanka's electricity utility has also conducted religious services to appease the gods in the past when hydro reservoirs have become depleted.
El Nino is a natural climate variation characterized by warmer surface temperatures in the central and eastern equatorial Pacific Ocean, causing worldwide shifts in wind and rain patterns. Human-induced climate change can exacerbate its effects, as a warmer ocean and atmosphere provide more energy and moisture to fuel extreme weather events.
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