Photo by Mia Abeyawardene
In the Eastern provinces of Sri Lanka, where the Gal Oya meets the sea, farmers, fishermen and families are facing an ongoing crisis. It is one shaped by rising temperatures, erratic rainfall and increasing natural disasters. The issue of climate change is no longer a distant threat; it is a daily reality for these communities, flooding their homes, destroying their crops and disrupting their livelihoods.
The Gal Oya is a 108 kilometre river that was dammed in 1948, creating the Senanayake Samudra reservoir. In both January and December of 2024, the surrounding region was hit by major floods as a result of intense cyclonic conditions and heavy rainfall. These weather patterns are becoming more frequent and more extreme. Flash floods, river overflows and dam releases from the reservoir have combined to create devastating downstream impacts.
Water levels in the reservoir reached 104 feet in April 2025, a time typically known for its heat and dryness. The Irrigation Department was forced to open the sluice gates, releasing water into already saturated lands. Farmers downstream, who had just planted their Maha season paddy, watched their fields drown again. Due to the growing challenges there has been a rise in widows as many men have taken their own lives under the pressure of repeated losses.
Sivapatham Rasammah, 74, recalls her husband dying by suicide in 2001 after suffering devastating crop losses caused by a severe insect infestation. The state provided no compensation. With four children to raise, her eldest son left for Malaysia to work and it was his support that helped the family survive. But year after year the floods return and they face the pain of losing everything all over again. “We’ve sown paddy three times this season,” said Porapodi Sivanesarajah, president of the Shakti Farmer Organisation in Vellaveli, “and it’s still under water.”
Flooding has also revealed the deeper problems of outdated infrastructure, poor planning and a lack of coordinated data sharing between government departments and local communities. A concrete bund built in 1990 to support irrigation is now causing water stagnation on 200 acres of farmland. Farmers have pleaded for years to have it removed to allow the water to flow freely and increase cultivation but nothing has been done.
The damage extends beyond agriculture. In December 2024, floodwaters damaged the water supply in several villages, cutting off access for days. Stormwater drains clogged with waste overflowed into homes. Bridges and causeways, already weakened by the 2004 tsunami, were further damaged, cutting off entire communities. Local authorities are struggling to cope. Kalmunai and Akkaraipattu, two rapidly growing urban centres, generate large amounts of waste with no proper disposal system. The result is pollution, health risks and rising greenhouse gas emissions. “We are densely populated,” said Batticaloa resident R. Gajendiran. “We need a separate authority just to manage this area.”
Farmers in this region also face several challenges. The Maha season, which runs from October to February, is crucial for food security but when the rains come too early or too heavily, they destroy seedlings. When they arrive too late, droughts set in. In the dry Yala season water scarcity worsens. “Even in the non-monsoon period we see short, intense rains that lead to flooding,” said Dr Saja Aslam senior lecturer at the South Eastern University’s Faculty of Engineering. “There’s no time for the land to recover.”
The financial toll of the environmental impact is debilitating for many. Farmers spend up to Rs.150,000 per acre to cultivate paddy but receive compensation of only Rs.15,000 to 20,000 when floods destroy their crops. Many have mortgaged their land and sold their cattle and jewellery to survive. Some have taken their own lives under the weight of debt and despair. “I have three school going children,” said farmer Sivapatham Kukopalasingham. “My leg was wounded in the flood. It still hasn’t healed.”
They are pressured into borrowing money, mortgaging their land and then having to sell it to pay back the money with interest.
Climate change is exacerbating the human-wildlife conflict. Elephants, whose habitats are shrinking due to encroachment and land grabs, now roam into paddy fields. Farmers must guard their fields at night, risking their lives. Several have died in elephant attacks. Monkeys and pests are damaging crops such as coconuts, which are already under stress from droughts. “Coconuts are small now,” said Sivanesarajah. “There’s not enough milk in them. The prices have gone up and still the pests eat them.”
Meanwhile, crocodiles – introduced during the war to prevent fishing access to rivers – are posing a major threat. During floods, they come ashore, making fishing dangerous. Families used to bathe in the river but now they are afraid after a goat and an old woman were taken by crocodiles last year.
The coast line is also being impacted by climate change. In Oluvil, a harbour built for economic development is closed due to sedimentation. Strong currents and wind patterns have shifted, causing heavy coastal erosion along a 10 kilometre stretch. Fishermen have lost boats and nets. Tourism in the area has declined. Cyclonic conditions in the Bay of Bengal are becoming more frequent, bringing stronger winds and affecting both lagoon and river fishing. When farming failed, it had been possible to rely on fishing but now both were in trouble.
Heatwaves are another growing concern. In 2023 and 2024, the region recorded heat indexes above 40°C on several days. Schoolchildren suffer the most in congested urban areas with poor ventilation. Small industries such as handloom weaving and food processing are struggling as a result; high temperatures making it difficult to work with many unable to afford cooling systems.
Water scarcity is affecting not just agriculture but drinking water and electricity generation. During the last drought even the Senanayake Samudra reservoir ran low, impacting hydropower. Experts agree that better data and planning are essential. The Irrigation Department has started collecting data from weather stations to improve flood prediction models but more needs to be done. Universities in the region are beginning to offer new courses on integrated water management but they lack access to government data.
The people of Batticaloa, Ampara and other Eastern districts are on the frontlines of Sri Lanka’s climate crisis. They want the government to act urgently to remove harmful infrastructure, invest in drainage systems, demarcate land for housing and support their work with real compensation. The urgent need for climate justice is not just about their survival but to build a safer and sustainable future for all.