Runaway pollution of ground water here threatening existence of many beyond next decade

Pesticides, herbicides, industrial and toilet waste all dumped in the ground freely.

By Ifham Nizam

Water resources in Sri Lanka do not have an owner, and there is no proper system to control groundwater which is one of the major stumbling blocks to prevent water pollution countrywide, said Environmental Scientist Hemantha Withanage yesterday.

Speaking at a discussion in Colombo, Withanage who is also the Senior Advisor of the Center for Environmental Justice, Ecologist and President of Friends of the Earth (FOEI) International Organization stressed that it is necessary to enforce the existing laws and regulations.

“The reason for this is that toilet waste, insecticides, waste produced by industries, all contribute more or less to water pollution, from the lowest level people to the factory owners. It should be said that it is not possible for many to exist beyond the next decade without stopping water pollution,” he added.

He stressed that the only thing that can save clean water sources for the future is only through the implementation of proper and timely laws.

“There is a limited amount of hygienic drinking water in Sri Lanka. Due to the daily increase in the amount of water consumed for drinking water as well as hygiene, the consumption of water is increasing today. Only 47% of the drinking water consumption is tap water. The rest of the water consumption comes from wells, canals, etc. Crops that threaten water are often cultivated in Sri Lanka. Among them, the main one is paddy cultivation,” he added.

CEJ’s Managing Director Dilena Pathragoda said that everybody should dedicate more than usual to protect the limited water resources! World Water Day has been celebrated since 1993 with the aim of taking action to solve the global water crisis for drinking and sanitation of the 2.2 billion people living without safe water.

He said the United Nations (UN) designates a theme on this day and this time `Be the change you want to see in the world is its theme’. It means that the change that needs to be made must start with yourself. It is strongly hoped to encourage them to work towards changing the way water is consumed and managed. Today the world has put all the garbage on the water.

“The streams that used to flow freely then have been polluted today. We have to make a strong commitment to restore the water systems without life. A number of problems have arisen due to the greedy desire to drink,” he added.

The incident of Rathupaswala can be pointed out as an example of a struggle for the right to drinking water in our country, Withanage said,

He also said that if taken numerically, the tank system is about 40,000. Even today, Sri Lanka has not been able to set up a conflict-free system in such a way that the basic water needs of people are provided.

He expressed concern that groundwater is used without proper management. Out of the 103 rivers located in the island, it has not been possible to assess whether the water of any river is suitable for drinking.