Water for people.pdf - WHO Thailand Digital Repository

R U H U N A B A S I N S , S R I L A N K A / 4 2 1Water for basic needsSixty percent of the basin population has access to safe water and 71percent to adequate sanitation (Ministry of Plan Implementation,2001). These figures are slightly lower than the national average,which rests at 75 and 73 percent respectively (Shanmugarajah, 2002).National targets for water supply in Sri Lanka are ambitious: thetarget for access to safe drinking water is set at 85 percent of thepopulation by 2010 and 100 percent by 2025. Similarly, the target foradequate sanitation is 100 percent by 2035 (Wickramage, 2002).Some of the major towns in the basins obtain domestic waterfrom irrigation reservoirs, while others abstract water from the riveritself. Although the return flow from agricultural lands helps tomaintain minimum flow requirements during the dry months in theWalawe sub-basin, it causes water pollution because of thepresence of agrochemicals.Water for ecosystems‘The paddy fields in Ruhuna basins are the most valuable wetlandsI’ve ever seen’, claimed a famous American ecologist. As well asthese agricultural wetlands, the basins consist of several otherecologically important reserves, including the Ruhuna, Uda Walaweand Bundala National Parks, the lagoon systems adjacent to Bundalapark and a large number of man-made reservoirs.Sri Lanka’s first Ramsar site, Bundala National Park, is spread overan area of 6,216 hectares. This area is designated as a sanctuary underthe Flora and Fauna Protection Ordinance. Four shallow, brackishlagoons form the major part of the park. Bundala is the most importantwintering area in southern Sri Lanka for migratory shorebirds,sometimes accommodating up to 20,000 birds. Elephants and leopardsare also found in Bundala (CEA/Arcadis Euroconsult, 1999).Ruhuna National Park is one of the largest in the country,covering about 126,000 hectares, some of which lie outside thebasin. Most of the park’s wetlands are well protected. The total landarea protected under relevant legislation is about 1,200 km 2 , whichrepresents some 21 percent of the basin area. Water use forecosystems is highest in the Menik River, which flows through theRuhuna National Park. Concerns about the protection of downstreamlagoons have been raised, as the minimum base-flows of the riversare becoming inadequate to meet ecosystem requirements.Water for industryThe basin does not currently house any major industrial activities. Somesmaller factories – mainly for garment and paper – and hotels and resthousesfor the tourist industry do exist, but industrial water withdrawalsare estimated at being less than 1 percent of total withdrawals.Source protection measures are adopted by these industries onlywhen they use their own water supply systems and when thesource is located within their property. Where the industries areextracting water from public water supply systems, there is nospecific contribution towards source protection, apart from tariffpayment for the consumption of water (Senaratne, 2002).However, major changes are expected when the proposedRuhunupura City development plan, which will include an airport,industrial and commercial areas and a commercial harbour, isimplemented. The water requirements of Ruhunupura are estimatedat between 100 and 150 Mm 3 per year. Studies presently underwayare exploring the reservoir options to retain floodwater from riversin order to meet the greatly expanded water demand.Water for energyIn 2001/2, Sri Lanka faced a major power crisis resulting innationwide power cuts for up to eight hours a day for severalmonths. The drought, in combination with hydropower’s large shareof total power generation (65 percent), was the main cause. Thenational targets relevant to power generation specify that a reliableelectricity grid should be provided to at least 80 percent of thepopulation at affordable prices and that the share of hydropower isto be reduced to about 32 percent by 2013.The hydropower generation facilities in the Ruhuna basins arerestricted to the Walawe sub-basin. Uda Walawe reservoir,constructed in the 1960s, has an installed hydropower capacity of6 megawatts per hour (MWh). The installed capacity of thehydropower plant at Samanalawewa is 120 MWh, which is about10 percent of the total installed capacity in Sri Lanka. Based on therecords at Samanalawewa, about 1.3 Mm 3 of water was required toproduce 1 gigawatt per hour (GWh) of energy (Somatilake, 2002).Water used to generate energy is recaptured downstream forirrigated agriculture, power generation and other uses.Management Challenges:Stewardship and GovernanceCultural background and the value of waterThe Ruhuna, along with being a subkingdom, served as a safe-havenfor people fleeing foreign invasions. In ancient times, agriculture playeda major role in the economy as well as in national security. Efforts todevelop water resources in the area, as in other parts of the country,focused on irrigation. As rainfall is concentrated in the two monsoonseasons, and because of the large interannual variability of rainfall, agood number of reservoirs have been built. Water has been used forrecreation, sanitation and hygiene for thousands of years, and as suchhas been given a very high value in the community.This historical background has influenced the perception thatwater is a public good, and has maintained agriculture’s role asboth a tradition and a major component of the livelihood of the