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Rainwater harvesting can revolutionises access to clean water in Sri Lanka – LRWHF
If a family with four members switch to rainwater harvesting each family members will have access to about 130 litres of water a day, and the water will be free following the initial investment to establish a rainwater harvesting system,
Tanuja Ariyananda of the Lanka Rain Water Harvesting Forum (LRWHF) said during a recent seminar organised by the Institution of Engineers Sri Lanka (IESL).About 40 percent of Sri Lankans still depend on wells, springs and other natural sources to meet the daily water requirement, she said.Given climate change these individuals may face problems accessing quality water in the future, she said.
“There has been a great interest in this system for the past 30 years. Now around the world there are about 160 million people who benefit from this system. They use this for domestic consumption,” she said.
Ariyananda said rainwater harvesting is important to Sri Lanka because water stress is growing due to human activity, urban development, pollution, etc. Droughts and floods have both become more frequent and both affect access to clean water, she said.
“Sri Lankans in many parts of the country can benefit from rainwater harvesting. This can benefit people in arid and semi-arid areas as well as those living in high elevation. It will also help people who use ground water of poor quality. We must not forget that some researchers link arsenic and fluoride in ground water to CKDu,” she said.
Most Sri Lankans are now crippled with high cost of living and rainwater harvesting saves money by reducing the water bill by up to 60 percent. It can also save the electricity bill by reducing the need to operate water motors, etc., she said.
Ariyananda said 60 percent of the rain that falls in the wet zone of the country is wasted as run off. The number is 40 percent in the dry zone, she said.She added that Sri Lanka has about 50,000 rainwater harvesting systems installed.
Ariyananda said a resident of Colombo with a roofing area of 100 square metres can collect about 192,000 litres of rainwater in a year. The number if 147,200 litres of rainwater for Kandy, 102,400 litres of rainwater in Anuradhapura, 83,900 litres of rainwater in Hambantota, 98,400 litres of rainwater in Jaffna and 300,000 litres of rainwater in Ratnapura, she said.
“If we take the case of Colombo and if we assume there are four people in the family, we can collect about 130 litres of water per person per day. This probably exceeds the daily requirement of a person,” she said.
Ariyananda said there are about 340 schools in Colombo and that the average roof area of a school is 1,000 square metres. The annual rainwater that can be collected by the Colombo schools is 548,800 cubic metres. If we calculate the value of water at 60 rupees a cubic meter, it comes to 32,928,000 rupees,” he said.
She added that some Sri Lankans are concerned about the quality of rainwater. A WHO study in 2017 found that the quality of harvested rainwater is second only to piped water. The quality of harvested rainwater is better than water from bore holes, protected springs and dug wells, according to the WHO research.
Ariyananda said a private higher education institution in Malambe recently started harvesting rainwater from a roof area of 5,525 square meters and that the collected water was adequate to meet 75 percent of the total water demand of the university.
“Imagine the savings this establishment made,” she said.
She said that there is a high initial cost to set up a rainwater harvesting system. The initial cost may be daunting, especially if someone is from a poor community.
“However, the state spends about 1.5 million rupees to give a water connection. But we can build a rainwater harvesting system for Rs 200,000 rupees. Then the household gets free water afterwards. The state can save money by giving rainwater harvesting systems to people,” she said.
The newly appointed Cabinet Committee tasked with ensuring the uninterrupted functioning of Sri Lanka’s public service held its inaugural meeting on Thursday (19) at the Presidential Secretariat under the patronage of Prime Minister Dr Harini Amarasuriya.
The Committee convened to discuss strategies to maintain seamless government operations in the face of potential disruptions caused by the ongoing conflict situation in the Middle East, with particular focus on energy resource management.
According to officials, the discussions emphasised sustaining essential government services, ensuring continued service delivery to the public, and addressing the operational challenges faced by public sector employees during the current circumstances. The Committee also examined measures to mitigate any disruptions that could affect day-to-day administrative and service functions across ministries and departments.
Key attendees at the meeting included the Minister of Public Administration, Provincial Councils and Local Government A. H. M. M. H. Abayaratne; Secretary to the President Dr Nandika Sanath Kumanayake; Secretary to the
Prime Minister Pradeep Saputhanthri; Chief of Staff to the President Prabath Chandrakeerthi; and senior secretaries from key ministries including Health and Mass Media, Transport, Highways and Urban Development, Energy, and Digital Economy.
Representatives from state institutions such as the Ceylon Petroleum Corporation were also present, highlighting the government’s focus on energy security as a central priority. The Committee’s deliberations underscored a coordinated approach to balancing uninterrupted public service delivery with effective management of limited energy resources amid the ongoing geopolitical uncertainties.
Observers note that the formation of this Cabinet Committee reflects the government’s proactive stance in safeguarding national administrative functions and ensuring that critical public services remain resilient during times of external pressures.The Committee is expected to meet regularly to monitor developments, evaluate emerging risks, and implement practical measures to maintain operational continuity across the public sector.
Opposition Leader Sajith Premadasa on Friday lashed out at President Anura Kumara Dissanayake in Parliament, accusing him of failing to uphold international law during wartime.
Premadasa said the President’s claim of neutrality ignored breaches of the UN Charter—including Articles 2.4 and 2.7—and other global conventions. “A neutral stance requires openly acknowledging violations,” he argued, criticizing the absence of ethical mechanisms to safeguard international law.
He also questioned the President’s handling of maritime issues, particularly whether Sri Lanka had been informed of the alleged attack on the Iranian vessel IRIS Dena, stressing that the Exclusive Economic Zone (EEZ) permits only peaceful activity.
On the economic front, Premadasa condemned the government for missing a chance to buy Russian oil during a 30-day U.S. sanctions suspension.
He said attempts to advise the Foreign Ministry, including a meeting with the Russian Ambassador, yielded no progress.
Premadasa further ridiculed the government’s earlier dismissal of the QR code fuel system, noting that officials are now adapting to it.
Turning to broader economic concerns, he called for immediate negotiations with the IMF to secure a new agreement, warning that the current primary balance of 2.3 is unsustainable. He stressed the urgent need for a poverty-reduction program, highlighting that one-third of Sri Lankans live in poverty.
He also demanded that surplus Treasury funds be used to support relief packages, arguing billions in reserves could aid households struggling with income shortfalls.Concluding his address, Premadasa criticized the government for failing to prepare for foreseeable crises, leaving the country vulnerable.
Former Minister Johnston Fernando, his two sons, and three others were remanded by the Wattala Magistrate’s Court yesterday (20) until April 2, the court confirmed.
The suspects, including Fernando’s elder son Johan, younger son Jerome, and a former transport manager of Lanka Sathosa, are under investigation by the Police Financial Crimes Investigation Division (FCID).
Authorities allege the Lanka Sathosa lorry was misused for operations linked to an ethanol company reportedly owned by Fernando, causing an estimated Rs. 2.5 million loss to the state.
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