Improving Sri Lanka's Water Resources

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00:00 Water powers our economic engine.

00:02 We use water to clean ourselves,

00:04 support our livelihoods,

00:05 and feed our families.

00:07 This vital natural resource has always been intertwined with

00:10 the lives of each and every Sri Lankan.

00:13 The historical and cultural links between water and the Sri Lankan populace

00:17 can be seen from our agricultural economy.

00:20 Ancient kings built tanks and reserves.

00:22 was to cultivate acres of paddy fields.

00:25 As a result,

00:26 crop yields improved along with the lives of farmers and their families.

00:30 These practices have continued to this day,

00:32 with water being increasingly used in other sectors like power generation

00:37 and construction as well.

00:38 Maintaining and expanding the infrastructure that supports

00:42 the water sector is now more important.

00:44 Than ever,

00:45 the dam safety and water resources planning project kick started in 2008

00:50 against this backdrop.

00:51 63 dams in Sri Lanka were rehabilitated under this project.

00:55 One dam to take note of under this renovation project is the Victoria Dam,

00:59 constructed in 1985.

01:02 As this reservoir has been built,

01:04 having the dam across Maha Valley River.

01:06 The engineering staff managed Victoria Dam by controlling a major risk.

01:11 The mechanical,

01:12 electrical,

01:13 and civil engineering systems

01:15 were in a fatigue state

01:16 as they were in operation for more than 32 years.

01:20 Likewise,

01:20 many other dams and reservoirs such as the Udawalava Reservoir,

01:23 the Tha Boba tank,

01:25 the Maoakale Dam,

01:26 the Muthan Kadu Dam have undergone extensive restoration processes.

01:30 At the inception of this project,

01:32 we Received a sum of $72 million US

01:35 dollars under the World Bank and government funds.

01:37 Altogether 63 dams were completed.

01:40 The project also helped increase the technical and

01:42 technological capacity of Sri Lanka's water sector.

01:45 Two data centers were established in Colombo

01:47 through which real-time data on river flow,

01:50 reservoir water levels,

01:52 temperature,

01:53 and rainfall are transmitted.

01:54 This data is essential in forecasting and making the public aware of.

01:58 Possible flood risks and warnings

02:01 under the dam safety and Water Resources planning project,

02:04 the safety

02:05 of most of ancient reservoirs like Kalababa,

02:08 Rajangane,

02:09 Mina,

02:10 and Kawdula

02:11 has been improved

02:13 for at least another 3 decades.

02:15 Hence,

02:15 I consider this project as one of the best projects related to the dams in Sri Lanka.

02:20 The time,

02:21 effort,

02:21 and initiative taken by every single individual involved in the dam.

02:25 Safety and water resources planning project

02:28 will benefit the country and its citizens for years to come,

02:32 providing fresh water at every corner and every turn.

02:35 Now comes the time to double down on the successes achieved through the project,

02:39 and the World Bank's new integrated

02:42 watershed and water resources management project

02:45 aims to touch the lives of even more Sri Lankans

02:48 that depend

02:49 on water in their daily livelihoods.

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Water powers our economic engine. We use water to clean ourselves, support our livelihoods, and feed our families. This vital natural resource has always been intertwined with the lives of each and every Sri Lankan. The historical and cultural links between water and the Sri Lankan populace can be seen from our agricultural economy. Ancient kings built tanks and reserves. was to cultivate acres of paddy fields. As a result, crop yields improved along with the lives of farmers and their families. These practices have continued to this day, with water being increasingly used in other sectors like power generation and construction as well. Maintaining and expanding the infrastructure that supports the water sector is now more important. Than ever, the dam safety and water resources planning project kick started in 2008 against this backdrop. 63 dams in Sri Lanka were rehabilitated under this project. One dam to take note of under this renovation project is the Victoria Dam, constructed in 1985. As this reservoir has been built, having the dam across Maha Valley River. The engineering staff managed Victoria Dam by controlling a major risk. The mechanical, electrical, and civil engineering systems were in a fatigue state as they were in operation for more than 32 years. Likewise, many other dams and reservoirs such as the Udawalava Reservoir, the Tha Boba tank, the Maoakale Dam, the Muthan Kadu Dam have undergone extensive restoration processes. At the inception of this project, we Received a sum of $72 million US dollars under the World Bank and government funds. Altogether 63 dams were completed. The project also helped increase the technical and technological capacity of Sri Lanka's water sector. Two data centers were established in Colombo through which real-time data on river flow, reservoir water levels, temperature, and rainfall are transmitted. This data is essential in forecasting and making the public aware of. Possible flood risks and warnings under the dam safety and Water Resources planning project, the safety of most of ancient reservoirs like Kalababa, Rajangane, Mina, and Kawdula has been improved for at least another 3 decades. Hence, I consider this project as one of the best projects related to the dams in Sri Lanka. The time, effort, and initiative taken by every single individual involved in the dam. Safety and water resources planning project will benefit the country and its citizens for years to come, providing fresh water at every corner and every turn. Now comes the time to double down on the successes achieved through the project, and the World Bank's new integrated watershed and water resources management project aims to touch the lives of even more Sri Lankans that depend on water in their daily livelihoods.

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worldbank/Sri Lanka – World Water Day

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worldbank/Sri Lanka – World Water Day-AVS

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Sri Lanka – World Water Day

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Sri Lanka – World Water Day

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