Search For New National Water Policy Smacks Of Old Top Heavy, Top Down Approach

By Rajan Philips -February 23, 2014 

Rajan Philips

It is good that the government is embarking on a new National Water Policy development. But it is not so good that the development of the new policy appears to be following the old top heavy and top down approach.  It is also surprising that the Ministry of Land and Land Development is taking the lead on this matter and has placed full-page newspaper advertisements soliciting public input to the process of policy development. The process itself will apparently be directed by a special committee involving representatives from 16 central government institutions implicated in matters relating to the nation’s water resources and their usage.

Background material has reportedly been prepared based on four workshops among the representatives from the 16 government institutions. According to the Land Ministry Secretary, Asoka Peiris, previous efforts at developing a national water policy were unsuccessful because of administrative conflicts and lack of public consultations. This time the Parliamentary Consultative Committee on the subject decided to develop a national water policy and entrust its implementation to the 16 state institutions that are located in land development, water resources, Mahaweli/irrigation, agriculture, agrarian development, wild life and forest conservation, environment and education. The goal now is to consult with stakeholders including farmers and complete the policy for cabinet approval. 

The intentions are good but the approach appears to be too straightforward for a very complex subject. This is also strange considering the extent and mixed results of the numerous earlier efforts in regard to developing a national water policy and framework for water management. Much has been written on these efforts and there are also considerable professional resources and interests available both within and outside the government. The Sri Lankan version of the International Water Management Institute, its activities and publications are good examples. Madar Sammat’s 2005 paper: “Water Institutional Reforms in Sri Lanka”, provides a comprehensive account of the many efforts at policy making and institutional reform in regard to water management.

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