Swings and Roundabouts: A narrative on Water Policy Development in Sri Lanka

This paper deals with the ‘swings and roundabouts’ encountered in water policy development in Sri Lanka. In recent decades, policy reforms for water resource management nationally-demanded but designed by external actors have generated intense controversy and become both a tool and a victim of national politics. Together these factors have led to the failure of major policy reforms, leaving an uncertain future for water resources management in Sri Lanka. With 60% of people reliant on paddy cultivation, water plays a powerful social, cultural and political role. Whilst water scarcity is not an immediate challenge, since the early 1990s demand has been increasing because of rapid urbanisation and industrial development. Better management faces critical challenges, including a lack of policy clarity on resource development and allocation, the many overlapping institutions and laws in the sector, and an absence of reliable data.