CASCADE’S FUTURE – Ellangawa

From Kings to Countrymen

The Hanging Cascades of Sri Lanka

To the rescue of a

TIME-OLD HERITAGE

Today, the ancient cascades face the threat of destruction, on one hand in the face of climate change and on the other by human activity. The United Nations Development Programme is on a crusade to give a new lease of life to Sri Lanka’s ancient wonder.

UNDP in a far-reaching and exhaustive mission with the Green Climate Fund, along with the Government of Sri Lanka, launched an Integrated Water Management Project through investments in Irrigation, agriculture, drinking water, and disaster risk reduction. UNDP’s approach sees it strengthening the resilience of small-holder farmers especially women facing untold risks blamed on rising temperatures, erratic rainfall and extreme events attributed to climate change and poverty.

Cascade

CASCADE APPROACH

An important feature in the hydrology of Dry Zone in Sri Lanka is small reservoirs or “Village Tanks”. They serve multiple needs of the community including domestic water supply, livestock needs and irrigation requirements. Each small reservoir or “Tank” has its own ecosystem comprising a tree belt to control evaporation, silt traps, and downstream vegetation serving as an “interceptor” to control seepage of polluted water to the downstream.

Revelution

DOWNSTREAM

These reservoirs are arranged along the paths of small streams, some of which are ephemeral, and form “cascades”, which enable spill and drainage water from one reservoir to be utilized in the downstream reservoirs. Furthermore, spill waters from one Tank could flow to another downstream Tank in the cascade. A cascade could include diversions as well. A cluster of cascades forms a sub-basin or a sub-watershed of a river, and several sub-watersheds form a river basin.

The Mission

HIGHLIGHTS

The Green Climate Fund has provided USD 38.08 million through UNDP and the Government of Sri Lanka has invested an additional USD 14 million as co-financing to the Project.

The project which started in 2017 with the support of the Department of Agrarian Development identified over 22,000 tanks. About 32% of these were either abandoned or damaged and a large portion of the remaining Tanks need to be upgraded.

The Project scope encompassed the rehabilitation of 325 village irrigation systems in about 20 cascade systems in six Dry Zone districts of Sri Lanka, namely; Anuradhapura, Vavuniya, Mannar, Puttalam, Kurunegala and Trincomalee.

The blue-print of intervention extensively considered the effects of climate change and included the restoration of the tank’s primary eco system; by improving the physical structures of the tanks and diversions, improving the catchment areas through reforestation, improving soil and water conservation in the area and supporting environmental management.

It is expected that the upgraded village irrigation systems will enable the rural farming communities to withstand both floods and droughts. The upgraded systems will also improve the eco-system and increase the eco-system services to the vulnerable communities.

The cascade eco systems have survived for over 2000 years but are facing their gravest threat yet. The UNDP believes that any meaningful solution of sustenance must also include supporting communities in responsible livelihood development and management of cascades by the people.