Sri Lanka: Issues and Opportunities for Investment

Abstract

"The country has an annual rainfall between 750 and 6,000 millimeters (mm), with large spatial and temporal variation. The availability of clean drinking water is a national imperative, but agriculture consumes the bulk of available water resources. Economic development, population pressure and rising demands from different sectors are placing increasing pressure on available water resources. Climate change could aggravate this situation in Sri Lanka. There is a danger that the demand for water will outstrip supply, particularly in the Dry Zone of Sri Lanka where most irrigation schemes are located."