Collective Action for Protection of Water Rights: The Case of Thuruwila, Sri Lanka

Abstract

"Irrigated agriculture, was the mainstay of the hydraulic society in ancient Sri Lanka. A two thousand five hundred system with its technical excellence was fittingly referred to as the 'Granary of the East'. Multifunctional water resource development systems in Sri Lanka supported human livelihoods, while fostering a strong sense of community ownership of natural resources.

"The Mahavamsa, the premier historical chronicle in Sri Lanka enunciates the principle of common property resources, equity of access and state trusteeship .The development activities fostered by the State and individuals recognised the principle of coexistence between man and nature. Most ancient Sri Lankan irrigation systems, which provided the main source of livelihood for the people, were thus built for '<i>the benefit of the country ' </i>and '<i>out of compassion for all living creatures'</i>.

"Intersectoral competition for water in modern times have caused traditional communities depending on irrigated rice cultivation confront stresses related to loss of traditional water rights to urban and industrial demands. To illustrate the scope of this challenge, this paper proposes to present the case study of a water transfer out of Thuruwila, a Purana (Ancient) village with a well endowed reservoir, in the Anuradhapura District in the North Central Province of Sri Lanka. More conservative in its social norms than the modern irrigated settlements nearby, the <i>Purana </i>village of Thuruwila has a close knit kin group, who maintain an ongoing tradition of agricultural rituals and festivals and derive a strong sense of identity from irrigated rice cultivation, their main source of livelihood.

"Anuradhapura, the ancient capital of Sri Lanka and a venerated center of Buddhist pilgrimage, faces periodic shortages on its water resources due to heavy influxes of more than one million pilgrims during major Buddhist festivals. In an attempt to meet the increased demand the National Water Supply and Drainage Board (NWSDB) failing to increase the volume of extractions from existent sources, sought to tap Thuruwila, a medium sized reservoir, using financing from the ADB to supplement the Anuradhapura water supply.

"The agencies involved finalized the proposed water transfer without adequate community consultations. Politicians and water professionals were the main decisionmakers in this process. When this was disclosed, opposition to the project arose due to the perceived loss of livelihood as well as loss of decision-making rights of the community over what they consider to be their water heritage. Supported by a network of environmental NGOs, Thuruwila then organized itself to mount a protest campaign and took its case to the Human Rights Commission and later, to the Supreme Court. Thuruwila was able to obtain an order upholding its right to irrigation water. This case is a significant illustration of collective action and judicial activism related to water rights in Sri Lanka.

"This paper is based on work carried out as part of Regional Study of Water Transfers out of Agriculture for IFPRI."