The Value of Traditional Water Schemes: Small Tanks in the Kala Oya Basin, Sri Lanka
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View metadata, citation and similar papers at core.ac.uk brought to you by CORE provided by Mountain Forum The Value of Traditional Water Schemes: Small Tanks in the Kala Oya Basin, Sri Lanka Shamen Vidanage, Sudarshana Perera and Mikkel F. Kallesoe IUCN Water, Nature and Economics Technical Paper No. 6 Water and Nature Initiative This document was produced under the project "Integrating Wetland Economic Values into River Basin Management", carried out with financial support from DFID, the UK Department for International Development, as part of the Water and Nature Initiative of IUCN - The World Conservation Union. The designation of geographical entities in this publication, and the presentation of materials therein, do not imply the expression of any opinion whatsoever on the part of IUCN or DFID concerning the legal status of any country, territory or area, or of its authorities, or concerning the delimitation of its frontiers or boundaries. The views expressed in this publication also do not necessarily reflect those of IUCN, or DFID. Published by: IUCN — The World Conservation Union Copyright: © 2005, International Union for Conservation of Nature and Natural Resources. Reproduction of this publication for educational and other non-commercial purposes is authorised without prior permission from the copyright holder, providing the source is fully acknowledged. Reproduction of the publication for resale or for other commercial purposes is prohibited without prior written permission from the copyright holder. Citation: S. Vidanage, S. Perera and M. Kallesoe, 2005, The Value of Traditional Water Schemes: Small Tanks in the Kala Oya Basin, Sri Lanka. IUCN Water, Nature and Economics Technical Paper No. 6, IUCN — The World Conservation Union, Ecosystems and Livelihoods Group Asia. ISBN: 955-8177-50-4 Cover illustration: Small tank resource users, Kala Oya Basin, Sri Lanka (Sudarshana Perera) Edited by: Lucy Emerton Produced by: IUCN — The World Conservation Union, Ecosystems and Livelihoods Group Asia, Colombo. Available from: IUCN Ecosystems and Livelihoods Group Asia, 53 Horton Place, Colombo, SRI LANKA. Email: [email protected] IUCN Water & Nature Initiative, Rue Mauverney 28, 1196 Gland, SWITZERLAND. Email: [email protected] EXECUTIVE SUMMARY Sri Lanka has one of the oldest traditions of irrigation in the world, dating back as far back as 500 BC. It was around these ancient tank (water storage reservoir) irrigation systems that the economy and human settlements of early Sri Lankan society were organized into a “hydraulic civilization”. Unlike in the case of most ancient civilizations, which grew in fertile river valleys and floodwater retention areas, Sri Lankan hydraulic societies were based on reservoir systems. Traditional tank systems thus form a vital component of both the natural and man- made landscape in Sri Lanka. Providing irrigation water, domestic supplies and natural resources to millions of people, they also constitute one of the richest sources of wetland biodiversity in the country. Yet traditional tank systems are also under severe, and increasing, threat – which is, in turn, both putting in danger livelihood security and threatening the status of biodiversity. These threats arise from multiple sources, including upstream water allocation decisions, which marginalise traditional tank systems in favor of seemingly more productive uses such as “modern” large-scale irrigation and hydropower, as well as from siltation and sedimentation arising from unsustainable land use practices in upper catchments. The reduced capacity of the reservoirs will result in less irrigation water available for downstream lands and livelihood benefits to the community. The study quantifies the benefits associated with tank goods and services, and underlines their high economic and livelihood value to local communities. It also looks at the economic returns to different options for restoring and maintaining the traditional tank system. These results reveal that removing silt and rehabilitation of tank reservation is the most feasible option, which could improve the services, provided for a longer period of time and give the highest economic return. The study concludes by making recommendations about economic and financial instruments to strengthen tank management. Although the government spends lot of resources to maintain the tanks, the communities around the tanks are not happy and complain about the low quality of the work. In order to internalise their concerns, a mechanism with appropriate provisions to involve community in tank management needs to be developed. Such a mechanism should respect the rights and responsibilities of the various stakeholders towards specific resources as well as the treatment of what is considered as common resources. In the case of water for example, there would need to be agreement amongst farmers as to allocation for cultivation, but also agreement amongst the broader membership regarding the allocation of water for cultivation and allocations for the ecosystem and for domestic uses. ACKNOWLEDGEMENTS We are grateful to the staff of the Mahaweli Authority of Sri Lanka, particularly, Mr. Sunil Perera, Mr. Dissanayake, the Additional Directors of the River Basin Planning and Management Unit, and Eng. Neil Bandara, Basin Manager, and the Kala Oya Pilot Basin project for providing information, arranging field staff and for close collaboration in conducting the field studies. We wish to acknowledge the constant guidance and support rendered by Ms. Lucy Emerton, Head Ecosystems and Livelihoods Group 2, IUCN Asia, throughout the project. Finally, we are grateful to our field staff H.D. Wimalasena, G.T. Nugapitiya and Nimal Ratnayake, and the communities of the Rajangana–Angamuwa sub catchment, for the information provided for studies and for spending their valuable time with us in participating in the discussions and interviews. TABLE OF CONTENTS BACKGROUND ..................................................................................................................1 INTRODUCTION: Integrating ecosystem values into Kala Oya Basin planning and management.......................................................................................................................3 Aims of the project............................................................................................................................. 3 Rationale for the Kala Oya Basin as demonstration site ..................................................................... 3 Scope of project activities .................................................................................................................. 4 Project partners and beneficiaries...................................................................................................... 5 THE SITE: Water, ecology and socio-economy in the Kala Oya Basin........................7 National development goals and indicators ........................................................................................ 7 Water resources in the Kala Oya Basin.............................................................................................. 9 Land use ..........................................................................................................................................12 Socioeconomic status.......................................................................................................................14 Poverty, livelihoods and wetland ecosystems....................................................................................16 Major threats and issues in the basin................................................................................................17 NATIONAL FRAMEWORKS: Legal and institutional context to water resources planning and management .............................................................................................19 Legislation........................................................................................................................................19 The project planning process in the state sector................................................................................22 Institutional changes in the water sector ...........................................................................................23 Analysis and Recommendations.......................................................................................................24 METHODOLOGY: Valuing ecosystem goods and services in the Kala Oya Basin...27 Role of valuation in major conservation and development policies.....................................................27 Economic valuation theory................................................................................................................27 Valuation methods............................................................................................................................29 Study methodology...........................................................................................................................31 DIRECT VALUES: Use of water and wetland resources...............................................35 Arable agriculture .............................................................................................................................35 Paddy...............................................................................................................................................35 Domestic water use..........................................................................................................................37