Press briefing of Cabinet Decision taken on 2017-10-17

Formulation of a mechanism for the development, conservation and management of river basins

- A vital need has arisen for the proper conservation of the river basins and catchment areas in Sri Lanka when facing the issues caused through the irregular utilization of land areas that should be conserved due to population growth and the challenges posed by urbanization and industrialization. A proper institutional structure has to be established to control the issues such as pollution of river water due to the disposal of garbage and industrial effluent, erosion of the bed and banks of rivers due to sand mining, excavation for gem, clay and other minerals, the changes to course and flow of rivers due to irregular constructions and various human activities and endangering of the ecological environment due to different development activities carried out in river reserve areas. Therefore, taking into consideration the proposal made by Hon. Vijith Vijayamuni Zoysa, the Minister of Irrigation and Water Resources Management, to carry out the development, conservation and management of river basins and catchment areas in Sri Lanka with a participatory management approach, the Cabinet decided to grant approval in principle, for the formulation of a suitable mechanism for the purpose, with the representation of all ministries and institutions.