ABSTRACT
The above quote from the ‘Mahawansa’; the historical bible of Sri Lanka and the startling statistic of approximately 79% of the run-off escaping into the ocean in the wet zone today, perhaps would partly justify the selection of the title for this chapter. In keeping with the above noble policy statement, the ancient rulers of the country constructed the large irrigation tanks that dot the landscape in the dry zone and the canal network connecting the tanks and agricultural lands to store rain water for irrigation during the dry season. However, most of the precipitation falls outside this catchment area and no major effort is planned to use the bulk of the rainwater during the dry season when water crises precipitate. Consequently the water resource for which every Sri Lankan is paying by way of indirect taxes is wasted through lack of foresight and misplaced priority. It is important that one looks at the freshwater issue in a holistic manner taking into consideration the country’s
population statistics, geography, climatic patterns, industrialization and agricultural practices.
