Water

             Water

The needs of nature and people

Sri Lanka is lucky that she does not have to share water with any other country. Hence she is able to manage her water resources and minimize environmental hazards. If we are to preserve the natural beauty of Sri Lanka we have to manage our water resources well. Sri Lanka is called, ’the Pearl of the Indian Ocean’, because of her shape and natural beauty.

       There are two aspects to water management; firstly to allocate water to the environment according to the environmental demands, secondly to supply the human requirement of water for agriculture, industry, power generation and domestic work.

     Excessive removal of water from rivers, tanks and other waterways has exposed bird, animal, fish and plant species to danger. It also has threatened the livelihood of farmers and fishermen. Many people depend on river water for drinking, cooking, washing and for various other uses. When the supply of water for irrigation is interrupted, the farmers cannot cultivate their lands and inland fishing will not be possible.

     The flow of water keeps the ecosystem healthy and productive.

     Dr. Validimir Smakhtin, the principal researcher at The International Water Management Institute (IWMI) based in Colombo, points out that the water flow has to vary at different times of the year, to maintain the good health of the ecosystem.According to the IWMI, the environmental needs are not being met as too much of water is being removed. The policy makers should pay greater attention to the over exploitation of fresh water. They must recognize the need to allocate water for the maintenance of the environment. The water wastage must be controlled. They must also monitor the flow of water and pay greater attention to environmental effects. Finally they must take steps to maintain the ecosystem.