Adaptive Policy Responses in Managing Urban Water Crisis in Sri Lanka

Abstract

Sri Lanka is one of the few countries of the world that had been flourished with a remarkable civilization which dates back to 6 BC. Astonishingly, the civilization was developed in the drier part of the country where the irrigation system was highly sophisticated. Since the system was structured in a way to distribute water for agriculture, drinking, and sanitation covering all the day-to-day needs of man through a complex distribution and management mechanism, the concept of water management appeared to have been deep rooted in Sri Lankan ancient society. However, industrialization paved the way to the establishment of enormous industries in the country which highlighted the distinction of urban and rural areas. Since industries targeted the urban areas, they emerged as urban cities subjecting to cause many positive as well as negative outcomes to the country. Due to the emergence of climatic changes through global warming, improper water management practices in the urban cities became a pressing issue that needed to be addressed comprehensively. Understanding the gravity of the issue, this paper highlights the policy responses of Sri Lanka toward managing the issue of urban water crisis as it needs to be addressed in a comprehensive manner. Then, the paper examines the overall position of Sri Lanka in urban water crisis management, and finally, it provides a profound understanding as to the prospective policy formulations on urban water crisis management of Sri Lanka.