Deteriorating water resources sparks call for action

A Colombo based think-tank, the Lakshman Kadirgamar Institute, released its findings on the seminar 'A Day Without Water: Managing Sri Lanka's Water Resources' on Monday.

Prominent experts, including Dr. Mallawatantri from the UNDP, and leading environmental organisations, such as the International Water Management Institute, discussed the findings.

The results of this report should be regarded as a warning for the country to take immediate action to preserve its fresh water supplies.

A Research Analyst at the Kadirgamar Institute, Ms. Chethana Perera, presented the findings of this seminar.

The Kadirgamar Institute has a legislative mandate to conduct strategic studies in areas of law, the environment, agriculture, cultural relations, economic affairs, and international relations.

This report focused on the social and the environmental impact of the deteriorating state of Sri Lanka's water supplies. The most prominent issue was the rampant pollution.

Rural communities, due to lack of resources and government support, are compelled to use outdoor toilets that contaminate their nearby water supplies. As families drink from these water sources, they run health risks from cardiovascular disease to cancer.

A member from the Android Disaster Resilience Network said that the environmental impact of pollution is equally frightening. Ms. Perera said that chemicals from the pesticides that Sri Lanka's largely agrarian population use, infiltrates local rivers. Endemic fish and birds ingest these harmful chemicals and their populations are rapidly declining.

The discussions also centred on the neglectful approach to Sri Lanka's water resources.

Despite large numbers suffering from viral hepatitis and enteric fever due to water borne diseases, there is still a dismal lack of treated water outside urban centres.

There is a large discrepancy between the National Water Board rating that 77% of water samples from the around the country are satisfactory and the National Epidemiology Unit finding only 47% of the samples to be satisfactory.