Around 60 -70 per cent of the water from rivers such as Gin Ganga, Kalu Ganga and Kelani Ganga flow into the sea while its less than 50 per cent in the case of water from rivers such as Malwathu Oya,Yan Oya, Kala-Oya and Badulu Oya that are released to the sea, the Agriculture Department’s [...]

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Water conservation is vital during drought

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Around 60 -70 per cent of the water from rivers such as Gin Ganga, Kalu Ganga and Kelani Ganga flow into the sea while its less than 50 per cent in the case of water from rivers such as Malwathu Oya,Yan Oya, Kala-Oya and Badulu Oya that are released to the sea, the Agriculture Department’s Deputy Director of Research Dr. P.B. Dharmasena has said.

He was speaking at a seminar held at the Hilton Colombo last week on the topic of Colombo Development Dialogue. The seminar was convened by the United Nations Development Program (UNDP) in partnership with the London School of Economics South Asia Centre in collaboration with Dilmah Tea and the Faculty of Graduate Studies of the University of Colombo.

Dr. Dharmasena said rivers that release less water to the sea have reservoirs such as small tanks. However Gin Ganga and Kalu Ganga do not have river basins except the Kelani Ganga that helps to prevent floods occurring frequently. Sri Lanka receives about 2000 mm of rain fall annually and when one calculates that with the land area it is about 130 cubic metres of water that the country gets. But 50 per cent of it flows into the sea and it means less than 50 per cent of rain water to be utilised. He said though there is plenty of water in Sri Lanka “we keep on talking about it as a problem because we do not manage our water” resources well.

“Can’t we find a better way to get that water into our land instead of releasing it to the sea? Although the country experiences floods and drought often there is insufficient water around the year. Referring to water management, he said Sri Lanka has a long history where water management was concerned in which water is diverted from one river basin to the other. Water from Malwathu Oya to Kala Wewa has been diverted into river basins via giant canals. Referring to water management, he said there are more than 10 institutes in Sri Lanka that looks into water management.

Dr. Giriraj Armarnath, a Research Group Leader for Water Risks and Disaster at the International Water Management Institute in Sri Lanka and in South East Asia, said that Sri Lanka has had continuous floods in the Western province during the past three years.

“New integrated computer systems have to be in place to avert such disasters in Sri Lanka and in South Asia. We have built such irrigation systems in India Bangladesh and in Thailand. The government of India is investing in a huge development project in Uttara Pradesh in Ganges river basin to capture flood water.” He said there are mega irrigation projects started in Sri Lanka with ADB and World Bank assistance.

Dr. Timotheus Gaasbeek, an expert in International Water Resource Management and a WASH Advisor for ZOA Sudan, Dr. Souma Balasubramanya, Senior Researcher (Environment and Development Economics) International Water Management Institute and Emeritus Professor of Kings College London, Tony Allen spoke via Skype also spoke. Dr. Nilanjan Sarkar-Deputy Director, South Asia Centre, London School of Economics was the moderator of the panel.

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