Water will not be privatised

Nadira Gunatilleke

Poor people should be provided water at low cost. The public should be made aware of the social responsibility to protect water, purified water is being used by some people to wash vehicles and clothes. Clean water is a must for good health, so it is our duty to use water sparingly and by thinking about the future. These are the extracts of an interview conducted with Water Supply and Drainage Minister Dinesh Gunawardena. He is the leader of the Mahajana Eksath Peramuna and the Chief Government Whip

Q: What are the burning issues existing in this field at the moment?

A: The cost factor is one of the main issues that exist at the moment. We should provide water at low cost for the poor people. But at the moment purified drinking water is being used for other purposes such as washing vehicles and clothes. Changing this system is a challenge. Labugama and Kalatuwawa are two of the oldest water reservoirs in Sri Lanka and they are around 125 years old. The country’s waterbed is affected due to various reasons.

Q: What type of solutions can be given to those problems?

A: More attention will be paid to make the public aware of social responsibility and the need to protect water. Safe drinking water is very important to keep human beings healthy. Clean water is a must for good health. Sewage is also very important. Colombo Sewage system is 100 years old and the Asian Development Bank (ADB) assists to rehabilitate it. More technology should be introduced to the water sector to handle excessive workloads.

Sri Lanka has 4,000 community water supply schemes and also won an International award for their success. Sri Lanka’s community water supply schemes have been used as an example for a success story at International level. This International recognition is a significant achievement for Sri Lanka in the water sector. Community water supply schemes are not only about supplying water for far away villages. It is about educating people on the importance of protecting water. All community water supply schemes which managed by CBOs will be assisted to continue their service successfully.

Q: Describe your future plans for this ministry

A: Sri Lanka is blessed with rainwater and the rainwater can be used for both drinking and other household requirements. Jaffna is a very good example for using rainwater in traditional ways. Rainwater should be used to its maximum. Water should be purified before releasing into the ground. This is another area that needs to be focused on. A lot of new rules and regulations come into practice, new alternative methods are being discovered everyday and there is new knowledge. I hope our universities will pay their attention towards this.

Water will be supplied to North and East. Water will be supplied to five districts in the region and construction activities have been speed up to provide clean drinking water for newly re-settled inhabitants in the North as soon as possible. The Kelani riverbank is collapsing and it will be completely restored shortly. Arrangements will be made to protect the Kalu Ganga banks. I hope politicians will think about the future of the country and coorperate with these activities.

Q: Is there any specific area that should be given priority?

A: Still only 33 percent of the total population of Sri Lanka enjoy pipe borne drinking water. The Water Supply and Drainage Board supplies water to the country at a very low price. But today the price of bottled water is very high in Sri Lanka. There is a huge gap between the prices of a unit of water supplied by the board and the price of a water bottle available in supermarkets. Attention will be paid to start water bottling through the State sector.

Q: This is a new subject for you. How are you going to face this new challenge?

A: This is not a new subject for me at all because I held the post of Urban Development and Water Supply Minister from 2004 to 2007. There are some future challenges exist in the water sector. One of them is dealing with the increasing salinity in water with the climate change and increasing sea level. This is not an urgent matter but it cannot be overlooked. Another problem is the direct connection exist between the rapidly increasing kidney diseases in certain areas of the country and the supply of drinking water. All the countries are now demanding an extension of Millennium Development Goals (MDG) and most of the countries have not achieved several MDGs in various fields. Water is one of such fields.

Q: Wastage of water is one of the main problems that exist at the moment. Do you have any plans to stop this?

A: Yes. I will make arrangements to obtain the cooperation and participation of water consumers to stop water wastage. Our ancestors protected water and made use of every drop fell from the sky. The best example for this is the advice of King Prakramabahu who told his countrymen not to waste even a single drop of water fall from the sky and to make use of every drop of water before flowing into the sea. Therefore protecting water is in our culture. It is not something new for us.

Q: Formulating plans to sell water is always a hot topic that caught public attention. What is the real situation?

A: Water will not be privatised. It was the previous UNP regime that wanted to bring a Water Bill into the Parliament but the President Mahinda Rajapaksa gave an assurance to the people not to sell State properties. Under Mahinda Chintana no State institution will be privatised. Therefore water will not be privatised.

I would like to have an open dialogue with all NGOs and other private institutions involved in water sector development in Sri Lanka. If both State and private sector work together, people will receive more benefits. The poor should not be suffered no matter whether we make profits or not by supplying water to the public. Water sector will be developed based on this concept.