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In rural Sri Lanka women are tasked with fetching and carrying water for the entire household, sometimes walking for miles to reach the water supply – Pic credit Amantha Perera/IPS
International Water day falls on 22 March every year. Countries all over the world celebrate the day through implementing different programs to emphasise the significance of water. The theme of this year is ‘Water and Sustainable Development’.
Water is life. It is a fundamental need of every living being. Human beings, animals and plants cannot exist in this planet without water. People need water for drinking. Water need for the functioning of human body. Hydration is indispensable to function and lubricate our brain, cells and organs of the body. Water maintains the body temperature. Dehydration is causing death.
Apart from functioning of the body, water is essential for personal hygiene and domestic activities. Agriculture needs water to grow plants to produce food for man. Industrial entities need water to produce machines, equipment and other essential items required by the man in his day-to-day life.
Animals and plants depend on water for survival. The properties of the environment become pleasant and gain life from water. Desserts have neither living beings, nor plants owing to lack of water. Many ancient civilisations including those of Sri Lanka emerged and flourished along river basins. This shows the close relationship of water with human life and their civilisations.
While promoting the vital importance of this precious natural resource, attempts must be made by international agencies and individual countries to comfort the lives of millions of people who constantly suffer without water and eliminate the water related issues in the world.
The earth’s water
A total of 75% of the earth surface is covered with water. Around 96.5 % of total quantity of earth’s water is saline which contain in oceans. Glaciers, ground water, rivers and lakes constitute the remaining 3.43% of fresh water.
Glaciers account for half of fresh water in the world. People do not have access to glaciers. Water stored in the ground cannot be used in the way people wish. Water in the rivers and lakes, which is of one percent of total fresh water, are the only source that people can have access. These statistics illustrate the scarcity of water resources which is crucial for the living beings and plants to survive.
The biggest consumer of water in the world is agriculture. Industrial entities and domestic sector occupy second and third places respectively. The demand for water has tremendously increased over the last several decades with the expansion of population, rapid urbanisation, agricultural revolution, industrial development and the change of people’s lifestyles.
It has been estimated that the present demand for water will double in 2025. However, the statistics disclose that the small amount of fresh water available for living beings is decreasing gradually. Excessive use of water, wasteful usage and contamination of fresh water resources are the key causes for decreasing the supply. Human activities such as destruction of forests and wrong agricultural practices have a stake in reducing the supply and lowering the ground water level.
There are climatic factors like global warming, high level of evaporation and transpiration of water to atmosphere that contribute to depletion of water supply. Further, the rise of sea level leads to intrusion of saline water into fresh water. These facts compel the world to protect and conserve existing water resources in the world for future use.
Lack of water
A total of 85% of population in the world lives in drier regions. Global statistics published by water related international agencies reveal that a considerable number of communities suffer owing to lack of water. 358 million people out of total world population do not have access to water. Most of them are from the African continent.
Meanwhile, 90% of children in the world affect without water and sanitary facilities. There is a high incidence of water borne diseases in water scare regions for consuming contaminated water throughout. Around 1.8 million people die annually with waterborne diseases. Children are the most affected.
For many communities in disadvantaged economies, non-availability of safe water is a grave issue. The UN Report on Water states that if the present pattern of water consumption is continued, along with increased demand for water, two thirds of world population run into difficulties by year 2025.
Sri Lanka
As far as Sri Lanka is concerned, we are relatively in an advantageous position. Sri Lanka receives a fairly high annual rainfall. There are 103 river basins flowing across the island covering 90% of its land area. The south west region of the country is endowed with seven major perennial rivers. The drier parts of the country are benefitted with 12,000 irrigation tanks.
The quality of our ground water is good except for the northern peninsula. The ground water in the northern part and the coastal belt is contaminated with salt water intrusion. Communities in rural areas use ground water through shallow wells. As per 1991 estimates, the island’s total renewable freshwater had been 50 KM3 a year.
However, water-related issues encountered by other countries in the world are commonly experienced by Sri Lanka as well. Rainfall is not evenly distributed across the country. There is a wide variation of precipitation among regions.
While the hill country and the south western parts receive a heavy rainfall, the dry zone remains dry in many months of the year. The dry zone receives rain only during the North East Monsoon period. Diversion schemes and community water supply schemes have been implemented to provide safe water for dry zone communities, but covering the entire population with safe water is yet to be achieved.
Increased demand
Lack of water for communities in the estate sector and in certain dry zone districts is still a key issue. Speedy urbanisation requires supply of more water for urban areas. Rain-fed agriculture gradually turn into irrigated agriculture due to changing rainfall patterns, enlarging the water requirements for agriculture. These factors along with population growth has created an increased demand for water in Sri Lanka. Fulfilment of the total demand is an unattainable challenge if the existing issues are not properly attended.
According to 2008 figures of the Census and Statistics Department, pipe-borne water is available only for 38% of population and the supply is mainly limited to urban and semi urban settlements. Communities in rural areas use wells, tube wells, small water supply schemes and inland water bodies like rivers and tanks. In certain areas where the water scarcity is very high, rain water is harvested and is used about for two to three months. During long drought spells, the communities in dry zone districts find it difficult to get water even for drinking. Provision of adequate and safe water for drinking purposes is a vital issue needing early attention.
Water pollution
Depletion of available water resources is another grave problem that the country face. Contamination of water from various polluting agents is a leading factor for this situation. Inland water in the urban settlements are polluted by domestic sewage. In cities, areas where low income families settled in an overcrowd manner with poor sanitary facilities, the rate of biological water contamination is high.
Water pollution is largely attributable to industries and agriculture. Industrial effluents discharging directly into the earth surface without any treatment is a key water polluting agent. Agricultural runoff in farming areas is another dominant hazardous water polluting agent. Pesticides and chemical fertiliser used for tea, coconut, paddy and vegetable growing areas directly contribute for water pollution.
Empirical evidence shows that the toxic particles containing in industrial effluents and agro chemicals are the leading causes for water related health problems. The central hill country use plenty of agro chemicals in crop cultivation and the toxic particles are mixed with soil and river water. The rivers originating in the central hills transport polluted water to all parts of the country. Accordingly, health hazards are not only confined to farming areas but also to other parts of the country.
Kidney diseases
Yet, it is evident from Health Department statistics that many of these health issues are more prominent in farming areas. The recent increase in kidney diseases in the North Central Province is purely attributable to toxic agents containing in agro chemicals used for paddy cultivation. Certain farmers use chemical fertiliser and pesticides, etc., excessively, more than the recommended amounts.
Statistics reveal that urinary system diseases have doubled since the late 1990s, with increased mortality rate of kidney patients. Statistics disclose the number of people affected and number of deaths occurred in the two Districts of the North Central Province.
In 2003, there had been 1,098 kidney patients treated by Anuradhapura hospital and 143 patients died. In Polonnaruwa District, 291 patients were treated and left the hospital and another 55 patients died in the same year. The number of deaths has increased from 3.0 in 1980 to 6.0 in 2005 per 100,000 persons, which is considered to be very high.
In the meantime, a new disease called Chronic Kidney Disease (CKD) has been identified in these districts and it is reported that the number of farmers affected has been increasing with time. Apart from the North Central Province, Trincomalee, Vavuniya and Badulla are other districts mostly affected. Accurate national statistics on the affected number of people are not available. However, available statistics show the strong relationship with concentration and high exposure to agro chemicals and incidence of urinary system failures.
Water quality affected
Most fishing communities in the coastal belt do not have access to safe water. In some of the coastal villages, there is a salinity problem. Level of biological contamination of water in the coastal settlements is also high due to lack of proper sanitary facilities. Illegal sand mining, clay mining and waste dumping are other contributory factors degrading water resources.
Construction of illegal boreholes to extract ground water is another constraint that leads to depletion of ground water. Lack of legal provisions and poor monitoring of the existing law enforcements concerning application of agro chemicals, releasing untreated industrial water and dumping waste into waters constrain the quality and quantity of fresh water.
Water conservation
Population increase, enhanced demand for food production, generation of hydro power, domestic requirements and climatic changes exert tremendous pressure on water in Sri Lanka. In order to conserve safe sources of water for future generations, it has become necessary to take steps to minimise water related problems.
Formulating policy directives, law enforcements and monitoring will be of immense importance. Efficient water management practices need to be introduced by the authorities concerned. Close coordination of all concerned agencies will be significant at the implementation level to protect and conserve water at all levels. Demand side management is an essential element in the water conserving process. People living in water-abundant areas do not consider the importance of this precious resource since many of them have water either free or at a cheaper cost.
At household levels purified water is used for watering flower pots, washing vehicles and many other petty purposes lavishly. It is observed that 80% of water in Sri Lanka is used for agriculture in irrigation systems; a considerable amount of water is wasted on the way before reaching the particular crop. There are a lot of leaks and cracks in canals. Water users including householders need to be educated on the gravity of multifaceted problems and the need for preservation of water. Use of modern technological devises such as drip irrigation, sprinkler irrigation, etc., may be introduced appropriately for different crops.
Necessary steps for arresting the wastages at all levels should be taken and consumers must be told that they must use a minimum number of units of water for a purpose. Recycling of water is another water preserving practice. Awareness raising programs are necessary for vulnerable sections of communities like fishing villages, estate sector and some dry zone districts regarding health hazards in consuming polluted water.
Supply of purified water for every citizen in the country is the most challenging issue we face. Let us celebrate World Water Day by drawing attention of communities and relevant authorities on these matters and insist that they initiate effective programs to protect and conserve our water resources.
(The writer is a Colombo District MP and can be reached via email [email protected].)
