News
Gaps in water allocations and the importance of an apex body in managing water resources
View(s):By Romitha Wickramasinghe
On the evening of August 7, the Cabinet approved transferring water from the Samanalawewa reservoir to the Udawalawa reservoir to support the urgent agricultural water requirements of thousands of farmers who cultivated paddy and other field crops in the Yala season.
The decision was the result of a continuous struggle by the All Ceylon Farmers’ Federation together with other farmers in the Walawa Valley. From July 23, they had staged a continuous satyagraha for over two weeks in the Embilipitiya town and were involved in a tense protest in front of the Samanalawewa reservoir on August 6, demanding the release of water from the reservoir to the Udawalawa reservoir. Not only that, this group of farmers had to complain to the Human Rights Commission of Sri Lanka to seek an answer for not being provided the water as promised before cultivation.
On the same day, the Cabinet gave the nod to transfer water from the Samanalawewa reservoir providing immediate relief to the farmers. But it is highly uncertain whether this move will succeed in protecting the farmlands as most of them have already reached the wilting point.
Has the Cabinet closed the barn door after the horse has bolted? We need to observe the situation for another few weeks to comment.
The Udawalawa dilemma over food production and power generation showcases the existing gaps in water resources management in the country. Speaking in Parliament on August 8, the Minister of Power and Energy stressed that the CEB’s first responsibility is only to produce hydropower and other commitments come second.
In contrast, the Minister of Irrigation stated that the national water allocation priority should be in the order of: drinking water supply, agricultural water requirement, and finally, power generation. The arguments between ruling party members make it clear that Sri Lanka still does not have a proper bulk water allocation policy.
Lack of an apex body
In managing the water resources of the country, more than 50 legislations and about 40 institutions have emerged since Independence. These are centralised agencies and decentralised provincial and divisional level authorities. Overlapping responsibilities among these institutions and distrust among officers have led to ad-hoc water resources management in the country.
In this context, it is clear that the agency that controls the water resource decides about water allocations instead of taking a holistic approach. Therefore, establishing an apex body such as a combination of the proposed National Water Resources Authority (NWRA), Water Resources Council (WRC) and Water Resources Tribunal (WRT) which is mandated to oversee water allocation is more than essential today as climate change intensifies and the uncertainty of rainfall increases.
Previous attempts
Developing an apex body for the country’s water resources management began in the mid-1990s. Yet, after about three decades, Sri Lanka still needs to implement such a policy. In 1992, with the backing of the Asian Development Bank, a comprehensive water resources management (CWRM) project was initiated to prepare a single new institution (including NWRA, WRC and WRT) at the apex to coordinate water-related activities.
In 2000, this apex body was declared by a policy document and the financing of the formation of this single regulatory body was started.
But the process was abandoned due to various reasons. The failure occurred due to public opposition to treating water as an economic good over common property, implementing water entitlements and tariffs, lack of communication with stakeholders, and transparency issues in policy (the document was prepared only in English) as local farmers could not understand it and frequent changes in the ruling party. In addition, it is argued that established water sector agencies discouraged this apex body as it would challenge their authority.
Meanwhile, in 2019, the Ministry of Irrigation released a draft proposal named the National Policy, Strategies and Institutional Framework for Water Resources Development, Conservation and Management. Most of the components of the framework are similar to that of the 2000 proposal but cautiously avoid water tariffing and propose to make the public aware of the economic value of water. Although this document also proposed an apex body for regulating water resources with a higher level of authority than other agencies, it is regrettable that Sri Lanka is yet to fill this governance gap.
Way forward
Implementing a novel apex body with contemporary policies cannot be avoided, given the current socio-economic and climatic trends. Although we are weak in learning from our past experiences, we must do this now as there is limited time left. The author’s opinion aligns with many professionals, that water should be treated as an economic good, not a commercial one. This is important in conservation and efficient ways of water use. However, proposals to tariff irrigation water may again hinder all processes as at the grassroots level, farmers are still poor and the situation has worsened due to the prevailing economic crisis.
Therefore, motivated by the Udawalawa water shortage case, to minimise future social unrest in water allocations, legislation of an apex regulatory body should not be postponed further. The proposed 2019 document can be a reference to initiate the necessary discussions.
(The writer is an expert on water management)
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