The Final Survey was completed by 20 October 2023 and shared with the SDG 6.5.1 Help Desk by the Country Focal Point. Apart from the report itself, a noteworthy but hard-to-measure outcome of the reporting process was the relations built and knowledge shared between stakeholders. These relations are the very basis for IWRM.
Reflecting on the process leading up to the main workshop and the reporting, Eng (Ms) Madawalagama further pointed out the significance of the collaboration with SLWP, as opposed to other donors: “SLWP supported us to gather all relevant stakeholders to a common table, initiate a dialogue and come to one common solution”. She also noted that a few important stakeholders, including the Ministry of Finance and Ministry of Fisheries, who were not present during the workshop, would be essential to invite for future workshops.
The round table discussions held before the main workshop allowed the Country Focal Point to disseminate the key messages of IWRM to a wider audience. The discussions held prior to the consultation and for report validation were also attended by more than ten officials representing the Ministry of Irrigation and Mahaweli Authority. The Country Focal Point also noted how the participants appreciated the opportunity to contribute and attended the workshop till the end because they considered it important to have their say in the final report. “Their contribution was extremely good” she explains.
With regard to institutions and participation, a lack of coordination was identified as the main challenge to the implementation of IWRM. Representatives of the Ministry of Water Supply highlighted that the National Coordination Meeting conducted by the Secretary to the Ministry, a Multistakeholder Platform for the WASH sector could serve as inspiration for a similar formal coordination mechanism for IWRM.
Management Instruments cover a wide range of tools including regulations, techniques, targets, water charges and tariffs, technical guidelines, and monitoring of water resources availability and quality. The group found that considerable efforts are needed to build institutional capacity to institutionalise IWRM elements in the water resources assessment, river basin planning, and sustainable utilisation for equitable allocation. This is to be addressed through a comprehensive technical assistance programme to develop hardware and software to incorporate IWRM targets in river basin planning. This means that water resource plans need to be prepared based on quantitative, qualitative, and ecological perspectives through a participatory approach. The establishment of the proposed National Water Resources Secretariat will provide an opportune moment for introducing IWRM elements.
Sri Lanka’s water sector is manned by high-quality professionals also future professionals will soon enter the workforce. IWRM capacity building is incorporated into the curricula of engineering undergraduates and post-graduates.
In the discussion on the enabling environment, the group identified the main challenges to progress in the adoption of a National Policy for Water Resources. The economic crisis in the country would be a major factor hampering the next steps in institutionalising the recommendations of the policy, therefore, even though the drafting of water law needs acceleration, it may be delayed due to changes in priorities.
Sri Lanka scored 49 as the average score on IWRM implementation in the 3rd reporting cycle. While the component ‘Institutions and Participation’ scored 63 as the highest, the component ‘Financing’ scored the lowest, only reaching 32. It was observed that the strong institutional base in water sector plays a key role for making a steady progress towards achieving IWRM implementation in Sri Lanka by 2030.