Water War
Sri Lanka's drinking water policy and its impact on the environment Having 103 river basins, Sri Lanka is not a water-stressed country although it experiences water shortages with seasonal variations. Sri Lanka’s state policy, from time immemorial, has been to use water sustainably. It was King Parakramabahu who said that a single drop of water that falls from the sky must not be allowed to flow into the sea unused. However, by 2016 much has changed. Most of the small reservoirs have been overrun by jungle or replaced by larger tanks. Because catchment areas are not protected and are denuded of forest cover, these larger tanks are subject to siltation, reducing their retention capacity. Heavy chemical use has also taken a toll on water quality, forcing the government to focus on discouraging fertilizer use. Water is extracted independently from waterbodies for agriculture, water supply for human consumption, hydropower generation, industrial uses and tourism, infringing on the righ...