Energy, land and water nexus in Sri Lanka's Mahaweli basin

The Mahaweli Water Security Investment Program, financed by the Asian Development Bank and the Government of Sri Lanka, aims to complete the Mahaweli Development Program, started in the 1970s to improve farmer incomes, food security, equity between different parts of the country, public health, and domestic, municipal and industrial water supplies. Up to 900 million m³ of water will be transferred annually through canals, reservoirs and tunnels from the Mahaweli River to the water-scarce north and north-west, where smallholder farmers have traditionally practised single-season rice cultivation. The transfer will facilitate cultivation of a second, diversified, crop and must be shared with competing consumptive demands, as well as meeting daily peak energy demands through releases for hydropower. The paper comprises a briefing exploring how the nexus is to be managed with the help of strengthened integrated water resources management, complex decision-support systems, institutional capacity development, strategic environmental analysis and consensus winning.