Sri Lanka Water Partnership

The impacts of climate change are with us and ever increasing disaster events, almost an annual feature need addressing especially with respect to water which serves as the principal vehicle of conveyance. An attempt at formulation of a policy and law led through a donor initiative in early 2000 aborted due to a public hue and cry and lack of political support, unfortunately saw the baby being thrown with the bathwater. A policy in limbo and no enabling law with business as usual has been the result with little initiative to at least begin a dialogue for change. However, the environment of a moratorium on dams and diversions, inter basin transfers, in fact on all water infrastructure and full cost recovery as an inevitable that existed at the time and conditioned the earlier proposed policy, is no longer valid and the urgency of responding to climate change impacts without delay has overtaken the many preempts that likely cause veritable hiccups in developing a responsive water policy that would have public and political acceptance.

Sri Lanka Water Partnership and NetWwater (Network of Women Water Professionals), a partner of Global Water Partnership, have been at the forefront of gender  and water advocacy in Sri Lanka. They have been working in school awareness programs through “SisuJalaHamuwa” for more than fifteen years and have also played a lead role in taking Sri Lankan issues to  SACOSAN programs and World Water Day activities. They have advocated that sustainable sanitation goes beyond the mere provision of facilities, and called for a change in the sanitation culture where hygiene awareness, maintenance and regular cleansing systems are put in place along with the new or upgraded facilities.  Read full article