Droughts: Lack of competence or sabotage? - EDITORIAL

In Sri Lanka, we have been fortunate to have a tropical climate, and never really faced droughts of the worst order. Technically, what faced, have been extended periods of dry weather.

However, the lack of rainfall often brings both farmers and city dwellers to their knees. In the paddy growing areas especially during the formative period of grain formation, a few rain-free weeks often spells disaster to farmers.
Unfortunately despite this long dry spells have kept recurring over the years we have not been able to solve the problem.
According to the Department of Census and Statistics 349,744 hectares or (46.5%) of paddy cultivation takes place under major irrigation schemes. 200,204 hectares (26.6%) under minor schemes and 202,300 hectares or just 26.9% of lands are cultivated under rain-fed conditions.
Therefore, an extended period of dry weather should not affect our paddy farmers adversely.
In reality, more often than not, prolonged periods of dry weather have been followed by heavy rains -unfortunately, the rains arrive too late to save the paddy crop. In the cities, the onset of the rains leads to flooding in the city roads and vulnerable areas.
The onset of the rains last Saturday was no different. Around two to three hours of rainfall left Colombo flooded. Roads resembled rivers, and as has become a rule more-or-less, a number of houses and shops were inundated by water.
The reality is that the adverse effects of both -the extended spell of dry weather and the heavy showers- of rain could have been easily mitigated had the relevant authorities attended to their duties in a timely fashion.
Over 76 percent of our paddy lands fall under either major or minor irrigation networks. The tanks/reservoirs should contain sufficient levels of water to irrigate the fields in the event of extended periods of dry weather.
It is for this reason the great tanks and the network of irrigation channels were constructed by the kings of old. In the words of Parakramabahu the Great ‘...Not even a drop of water that comes from the rain must flow into the ocean without being made useful to man”.
Unfortunately, these tanks have not been maintained nor dredged over long periods of time. In turn, it has led to the silting of the tanks. Inevitably they are unable to retain the required quantities of water needed to feed the lands under cultivation.
In like manner, the drainage system for the city of Colombo was constructed during the Colonial era. According to a World Bank study of 2018, almost 50% of the poorest 40% of the country’s population live within 30kms of urban areas.
As a result, Colombo, the largest city, is also home to the largest number of poor and vulnerable people who live in tenement/slum housing.
The dwellings of these less fortunate people are not connected to the main drainage systems nor are they connected to waste disposal systems of the municipality.
The household and other types of waste coming from these slums inevitably clog up drains and drainage systems in the city. The flooding of Colombo’s streets and main roadways last Saturday was mainly a result of the poor drainage system.
The World Bank study confirms inadequate infrastructure services, it adds, that the outdated and poorly maintained drainage systems expose the city to a significant vulnerability to flooding.
It is five years since the World Bank study was published. Sadly, year in and year out the city roads keep flooding, business houses keep going under water and the poor and vulnerable are displaced.
Is it that, the country which created a waterway which flows upstream (Yoda Ela) is today unable to successfully dredge tanks which were built centuries ago? Or is it that dredging tanks are low-cost projects which will not bring in ‘Commissions’ to those in charge of implementing the programmes?
Likewise, despite World Bank inputs, problems connected with flooding in the city worsen annually and give the appearance that Lankan engineers are not up to the task of meeting the challenge.
Or, is it that someone, somewhere, wants to call in international tenders to make a fast buck via commissions?