Call to involve women in developing National Water Policy for Lanka
 

BY FLORENCE Wickramage

WOMEN should be involved in developing a National Water Policy for Sri Lanka, which the country presently lacks, since women are the worst affected due to lack of water, said Nanda Abeywickreme, Chairman of the Global Water Partnership South Asia (GWPSAS).

She was addressing a media briefing at the conclusion of the three day 'Joint Forum for Regional Programme Redesign and Sub-Regional Meeting for Fourth World Water Forum' in Colombo yesterday.

The Forum deliberated on water issues in the region and decided that the importance of water development for the reduction of poverty be among recommendations that will be embodied in the draft document that will be submitted to the Fourth World Water Forum to be held in Mexico on behalf of the Sub-Region of South Asia which includes Sri Lanka.

The forum deliberated at length on all aspects of water issues. It was observed that the other countries in the region had gone far ahead of Sri Lanka in the development of water.

The need for a National Water Policy for Sri Lanka was emphasised which could contribute effectively for the country to face the global Water Crisis predicted for 2015. The poor are the worst affected by drought, famine, floods, landslides, tsunami, etc.

Abeywickreme said South Asia is richly endowed with water resources and the Sub-continent has large river systems fed by the Himalayas and the monsoons.

Though annual renewable water resources are high in all countries, scarcity prevails due to high regional and seasonal variations. The need arises therefore to develop water for irrigation and drinking, she said.

It was noted that women were the worst affected by water shortage and that it was time women were involved as decision makers in designing the water policy for the country, Abeywickreme said.

Coordinator for the Asia Pacific Sub-Region, Japan Water Forum Taeko Yokota, Senior Advisor GWP Khalid Mohtadulla and Chairman, Lanka Jalani, M.B. Adikaram also spoke.