The Centre for Environmental and Nature Studies (CENS) denounces project approved by the Cabinet. The plan will be financed by the World Bank with a loan of 110 million US dollars, pushing the authorities to privatize the island’s water resources.

Colombo (AsiaNews) - The Sri Lankan government has requested a loan of 110 million US dollars from the World Bank (WB ) to finance a project to sell the island's water resources to Western multinationals. This is according to the Centre for Environmental and Nature Studies (CENS ) which revealed yesterday that it is aware of a secret document - identified as 14 - 0194-504 - 206 - dating back to the 10th of February, which contains the cabinet's approval of the project.

CENS national coordinator, Ravindra Kariyawasam, explains that "the project is called Climate Change and Water Resources, and belongs to the Ministry of Irrigation and Water Management". According to the environmentalist, the Ministry of Finance and had assigned the Dam Safety and Water Resources Planning division to carry out the project according to a letter no W/D/M/01/L addressed to the Irrigation and Water Resources Management Ministry .

The loan had been obtained from the World Bank with a payback period of 25 years and at an interest of 1.25 percent per year, the activist said, adding that the World Bank had been reiterating that issuing of water for farming activities in Sri Lanka was a loss therefore the government should levy a fee. The CENS coordinator adds that " the objective of the World Bank to privatize water resources of the country, and the government is helping it through these controversial projects."

Sri Lanka is not among those countries with scarce freshwater resources, thanks to the presence of six aquifers scattered throughout the island . However, these resources suffer intense seasonal variations, as the country receives rain mainly during the two monsoons : the one that runs from late May to late September and hits the Southwest, and the one that stretches from November to February and hits the Northeast.

This means that large areas tend to suffer drought. Most fresh water is used for irrigation and hydroelectric power plants. On a national level, the drinking water supply is piped to nearly 90% of the urban population; in rural areas, water is available to about 60% of the population through protected wells.

• SRI
• LANKA
• water
• resources
• enviornment
• corruption
• drought
• World
• Bank