President Warns Sri Lanka’s Ancient Tank Systems Are Under Threat

COLOMBO (News 1st); President Anura Kumara Dissanayake has called for urgent action to protect and rehabilitate Sri Lanka’s irrigation tank systems, warning that encroachment, neglect, and damage caused by powerful interests are threatening the country’s water security and agricultural future.

Speaking on the importance of managing seasonal rainfall, the President said Sri Lanka receives heavy rains with the onset of October, and that properly capturing this water in reservoirs is critical to ensuring sufficient supplies for the Maha cultivation season.

However, he cautioned that many tanks, ranging from major reservoirs to small village wewas,have been encroached upon and damaged, with tank reservations destroyed and filled with silt.

President Dissanayake emphasized that Sri Lanka’s irrigation heritage was never built around isolated tanks, but rather as an interconnected cascade system.

He explained that water flows from one tank to paddy fields through canals, then into drainage channels, and onward to feed the next tank, forming a vast network of linked reservoirs designed to maximize efficiency and sustainability.

While modern discussions often focus on sustainable development as a new concept, the President noted that Sri Lanka’s traditional tank systems already represent one of the most sustainable development models in practice. He stressed that rehabilitating small and medium-scale tank systems is no longer optional, but a necessity.

Acknowledging that such efforts may face resistance and challenges, President Dissanayake said the nation must nevertheless commit to safeguarding this invaluable system.

He stressed on the responsibility to preserve the tank networks and ensure they are protected and passed on safely to future generations, describing the irrigation system as a critical national asset that underpins food security and long-term resilience.