Country Report- Water Security in Sri Lanka

Country Report

Water Security in Sri Lankaby

Chaminda HettiarachchiAssociate Director

Regional Center for Strategic Studies (RCSS)

atRixos Grand Hotel

Ankara, Turkey

Regional Network of Strategic Studies Centers (RNSSC)

Water Security Working Group Meeting

14th July , 2011

Objective of the Presentation

• To introduce Water Security from Sri Lankanperspective covering the history, concepts,achievements and challenges faced.

History of Water Management of Sri Lanka

Ancient History

• There are references to early inhabitants of the Island in ancient chronicles such as Ramayana and Mahabharata. According to this evidence, these communities made a living through fishing, hunting and agriculture (Parker 1909).

• The Indo-Aryan settlements that are believed to have originated in the fifth century BC were probably the cradles of the ancient hydraulic civilization of Sri Lanka.

• The vision behind the ancient hydraulic civilization of Sri Lanka was based on scientific principles of integrated water resources management.

• Achievements in the fields of irrigation, drinking water supply, sanitation, urban development and environmental management have been considered unique.

• The reservoir called “Panda Wewa” built in 450 BC in the north-western province of Sri Lanka could possibly be the first ever the records reservoir with an embankment, built using the principles of reservoir construction (Parker 1909).

• Sri Lankan engineers had also invented the sluice about 2100 years ago with a mechanism to dissipate hydraulic energy and control water flow, and this invention had enabled them to build very large reservoirs (Brohier, 1934).


King Parakramabahu the Great

(1153-1186 AD) decreed that

“ ……let not even a drop of water

obtained from rain, flow to the sea

without benefiting mankind”.


During European Colonization ( 1505-1948)

• Portuguese from 1500AD- Not much influence.

• Dutch from 1658AD- Built extensive drainage and canal systems for transport in costal areas.

• British from 1815 AD-– Tea and Coffee plantation had a negative impact on water sources in the highlands.

Reconstruction of irrigation system was a positive measure. Institution building in Irrigation and water resource management.


Dutch Channel in NegomboDutch Fort City of Galle

in Southern Sri Lanka

During European Colonization ( 1505-1948)


• Irrigation Department contributed heavily to the development of irrigation infrastructure.

• Senanayake Samudra reservoir built in 1949-52 remains the largest reservoir in Sri Lanka (950 MCM).

• The Mahaweli Development Project, which was completed in the mid 1980's, is the largest water resources development project undertaken by Sri Lanka. The Mahaweli project resulted in increasing the water storing reservoir capacity of the country by 2760 MCM, the hydropower generating capacity by 660 MW along with a substantial increase of drinking water availability. Other benefits of the Mahaweli project include flood and drought mitigation in Northern and Eastern Sri Lanka.

“Water Resource Management has been a key aspect of civilization of the Island nation and it has been a major element of nation building and Identity of Sri Lanka for more than 2500 years.”

Water Resource Management of Post-Independent Sri Lanka ( After 1948)

Water Sources in Sri Lanka

• Rainfall in Sri Lanka is of multiple origins with monsoonal, convectional and depressional rainfall types accounting for a major share of the annual rainfall.

• The mean annual rainfall is 1861 mm, approximately equivalent to a rainfall volume of 120 BCM (billion cubic meters) of rain water over the land area.

• Twenty out of the 103 rivers in Sri Lanka are classified as wet zone rivers, which carry about half of the annual surface runoff.

• There are 80 dams which qualify under the major dams category as defined by the International Commission of Large Dams.

• The groundwater resources are considered to be lesser compared to surface water resources. The estimated groundwater potential is 7,800 MCM per annum. Both the quantity and quality issues limit the use of groundwater.

Distribution of Mean Annual Rainfall in Sri Lanka

( Source- Sri Lanka National Water Development Report)

Distribution of Seasonal Rainfall in Sri Lanka


Major Reservoirs and Hydro Power Plants


Key Aspects of Water Security in Sri Lanka

1. Water for Basic Needs and Health

2. Water and Ecosystems

3. Water and Human Settlements

4. Water and Food

5. Water and Industry

6. Water and Energy

7. Managing Risks

8. Sharing Water between Uses and Users

9. Valuing Water

10. Governing Water

11. Ensuring the Knowledge Base( Source- Sri Lanka National Water Development Report)

1. Water for Basic Needs and Health

• About 70-75% households, do have access to safe drinking water.

• About 75% of the urban population and 14% of the rural population are served by pipe-borne water.

• The percentage of households having safe sanitation is about 85-90%.

• The national target seeks to provide safe drinking water for the entire population by 2025.

• Out of vector borne diseases that have a greater public health importance, malaria and Japanese encephalitis are considered to be the diseases most often associated with irrigation systems.

• Malaria continues to be a major public health problem and socio-economic burden in Sri Lanka.

• The diseases resulting from chemical characteristics of water include those due to the presence of heavy metals; dental fluorosis resulting from excess fluorides; dental caries resulting from fluoride deficiency; and effects of iodine deficiency.

2. Water and Ecosystems

• The rich natural ecosystem diversity of Sri Lanka consists of,

– (a) marine and maritime or coastal ecosystems

– (b) natural forest ecosystems,

– (c) the natural grassland ecosystems and

– (d) inland wetland ecosystems.

• The close canopy forest cover is decreasing gradually, which impacts on the biodiversity. It has reduced from about 69% in 1900 to about 22% by 2000.

• The main driving force for deforestation is the increasing population and resulting land hunger.

• The conversion of forests to plantation agricultural crops such as coffee, tea and rubber, inappropriate land use trends, unsuitable forestry practices, and the high market price of timber are some of the other causes for deforestation.

• After the establishment of a Ministry in charge of the Environment in 1990, policy development for environmental management improved. Two important legal instruments created recently were the “Environmental Impact Assessment” (EIA) and “Environment Protection License” (EPL).These will ensure sustainability of the projects and contribute towards environmental conservation.

Decline of Forest Cover in Sri Lanka

3. Water and human settlements

• About 95% of the urban population & 75% in the rural sector enjoy access to safe drinking water supply. The rural population is mainly supplied through dug wells and tube wells.

• Pollution of land, water and coastal resources in urban areas, and degradation of aesthetic value due to poor waste management and unsanitary disposal of liquid and solid waste are key issues. Air and noise pollution and loss of biodiversity are also evident especially in several cities in Sri Lanka.

• Lack of institutional, technical and law enforcement capacity in local authorities in arresting degradation of urban environment and natural resources base are identified as the main constraints for continuance of these problems.

• Several major challenges face the planners who strive to provide safe drinking water and sanitation for the urban population, such as providing drinking water and sanitation to peripheral areas around urban centers while achieving the twin objectives of equitable water supply and demand management.

4. Water and food

• The total lands available for rice cultivation was 741,716 hectares in 2003. The area under irrigation had been increasing steadily throughout the last century, especially after 1950.

• Since independence in 1948, the Government of Sri Lanka has initiated a series of policies and programmes to improve food security and nutritional levels in the country.

• Self-sufficiency in rice and generation of rural employment were considered priority considerations of successive governments. The country has achieved near self-sufficiency in rice, producing 3.0 million mt. of paddy in 2003.

5. Water and industry

• Pollution of both surface water and ground water sources due to improper disposal of wastewater and solid waste by industries is a grave concern in certain areas.

• It has however, to be noted that there is a higher tariff for industrial and commercial consumers than for domestic consumers, the ratio being 1:6.

6. Water and energy

• The major primary energy sources of Sri Lanka and their respective shares are, hydropower (9%), petroleum (41%) and biomass (50%) . The distribution of sectoral electricity consumption in Sri Lanka shows that the main consumer is the domestic sector (49%), closely followed by the industrial and commercial sector (48%).

• The share of hydropower in total electricity generation has fallen from nearly 100% in 1990 to about 42% in 2003. The drop of the hydropower contribution was mainly due to its inability to produce sufficient energy during frequent droughts, especially in late the 1990s and early 2000s.

• Hydropower is a major indigenous source of power, has lesser impacts on environment, is relatively cheap and therefore contributes positively to the Government's plans to increase national access to electricity. The government is therefore committed to develop all the possible hydropower options.

The Upper Kothmale Hydro Power Project ( UKHP)

•The UKHP is a run of river hydropower project with an installed capacity of 150MW

•Total Project cost : Rs. Million 37,269- Funded by a loan provided by Japan International Cooperation Agency (JICA) : Rs. Million 28,721 (JPY Million 37,817) & Government of Sri Lanka: Rs. Million 8,548

• Expected date of completion: End of December 2011

7. Managing risks• Landslides, floods and droughts are the most common and destructive types of

natural disasters in Sri Lanka.

• Droughts have caused severe losses to the economy, including disruption of livelihoods and agricultural productivity. The country had to face power cuts, sometimes extending to 8 hours/day and this resulted in substantial losses to the industrial and manufacturing sectors.

• The tsunami that occurred on 26th December 2004 was the biggest natural disaster ever to strike Sri Lanka. It resulted in 38,900 deaths and displacement of about 443,000 people in the eastern and southern coasts. The damage to homes, infrastructure, ecosystems and agricultural lands was enormous. The cost of the damage to assets is estimated as US$ 1000 million.

• The analysis of long-term temperature data of the island clearly indicates an increasing trend of air temperature, particularly during the recent few decades. Analysis of inter-annual as well as intra-annual rainfall trends of central Sri Lanka has shown that there is a decrease in the annual rainfall in the region.

“Managing water related natural disasters remain a major challenge for Sri Lanka”

Water Related Risks in Sri Lanka

Kalutara Beach, Sri Lanka, the ocean retreats

in advance of tsunami's approach ( 2004)

Colombo Flooding

Sri Lankan parliament flooded (Nov. 2010)

8. Sharing water between uses and users

• The major issue related to water sharing is the allocation among different water user sectors, especially during droughts. Decisions are often taken with due consideration to social and economic factors.

• In general, water requirements for drinking, sanitation and livelihood purposes get higher priority during crisis situations. A formal intersectoral water allocation system exists in the case of Mahaweli River. The sectors that are involved in water-sharing decisions include irrigation, hydropower and domestic users.

• The village tank represents a major resource base for the village community, where several traditional water-sharing methods have been practiced.

9. Valuing water

• Sri Lanka recognizes the fact that water has social, environmental and cultural values in addition to its the economic value. The social and cultural norms established within the society have placed great emphasis on the optimum use and prevention of wastage of this vital resource.

• The financing of water resource development has traditionally remained the responsibility of the state. The payment of costs for providing water services, primarily in the community water supply schemes, is a widely accepted concept today.

• Irrigation water has a social value through the creation of opportunities for development in the dry regions and a critical investment for employment generation.

• Irrigation investments have contributed significantly to reducing rural-urban migration due to expansion of economic activities. Such aspects also need to be recognized when valuing water.

10. Governing water• Different aspect of water resources management is being handled by a large number of

national institutions. Some of the functions of these institutions include:– Water resources planning and development

– Irrigation

– Flood control

– Agriculture

– Drinking water supply and sanitation

– Health

• There is a very large number of legislation dealing directly or indirectly with water resources. However, the legal support and implementation strategies for controlling water pollution are inadequate.

• Although a large number of professionals are employed in the sector, the opportunities for long-term training are inadequate. There is a need to promote water-related research to develop the human resource base.

• The proportion of the public investment in irrigation and agriculture shows a declining trend after mid 1980s. Over the years, private investment and public-private partnerships have increased in the water sector, and this partially compensates the reduction in state investment.

• Community participation in irrigated agriculture has been practiced for a long time in Sri Lanka. In the water supply sector public participation, especially by women in rural water supply schemes is substantial, and the communities contribute by sharing costs and taking over the management.

11. Ensuring the knowledge base

• The present knowledge base of the water sector in Sri Lanka is known to have been created over the centuries mainly through tradition, evolution and experience.

• Currently scientific research on water and aspect directly related to water are carried out only by few agencies. During the last decade a reasonable number of socio-economic and policy related research studies on irrigated agriculture have been carried out by International Water Management Institute (IWMI).

• The major data and information dissemination mechanisms include community-participated extension programmes, printed media including newspapers and electronic media.

• There are few newsletters and popular magazines published by some government agencies that contain papers of informative and educational value.

Conclusions

• Sri Lanka has reached several milestones in the water sector in the recent past, especially in the past 50 years.

– The development of about 25% of the available annual water resources

– Achieving near-self-sufficiency in rice production

– High level of access to safe drinking water and sanitation

– protection of areas with high degree of biodiversity

– provision of electricity to a significant proportion of the population

– and the existence of a water related knowledge base

Conclusions

• However, there are several challenges and threats to these achievements. – Lack of a consensus about key policy issues constitute one of the

major concerns

– Declining investments in some water-related sub-sectors

– Competition among water user sectors

– Climatic changes increasing the water-related risks

– Lack of water-sharing methodologies

– Inadequacy of databases and early warning systems

– inadequate progress has been reported with respect to poverty alleviation, and controlling of water related diseases

– Declining or stagnant investments in water resources and health sectors threatens the sustainability of national achievements

THANKS&

OPEN FOR DISCUSSION

Country Report- Water Security in Sri Lanka

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