Ending Water Scarcity in Sri Lanka's Dry Zone

Abstract

The Asian Development Bank (ADB) is supporting a major government water resources project in Sri Lanka to divert untapped water from the Mahaweli River.1 This is the country’s largest river basin with headwaters in the southern wet zone. The project will feed tanks and reservoirs in the northern dry zone to keep these full year-round, allowing farmers to plant two crops instead of the usual single crop. The northern dry zone of Sri Lanka is a largely agriculture-based area and home to about a third of Sri Lanka’s population of about 21 million. It receives rainfall in one monsoon season each year, whereas the southern zone benefits from two monsoons. The weather is highly variable and droughts are common; household incomes are around 10% lower in the dry zone than in other parts of the country. This situation is expected to worsen as the population grows and rainfall diminishes further due to climate change.