Over the past decade, Sri Lanka has experienced extreme and bizarre swings in temperatures and rainfall patterns – a new challenge posed by Climate Change.Sri Lanka’s Dry Zone is particularly battered by long periods of drought resulting in water scarcity and affecting poor farming communities – those least equipped to tackle such situations.
The ethnic conflict ended almost a decade ago; but times are still tough for women like Baleswary from Vavuniya, having to pay large sums for clean water.In Anuradhapura, the 58-year-old widow Bisomenike, who thought her life would be easier after her three children became independent, now has an added daily chore -- to fetch clean water from a faraway tank.
Both Baleswary and Bisomenike, like thousands of other Sri Lankans, face many water related woes such as the kidney disease, drought and floods.In addition to managing the household and the livestock, women in the Dry Zone traditionally take full responsibility for the care of children, the elderly and the disabled. Their male counterparts are either deceased or have migrated to areas where there is water and hence work is available.
They are thus at the frontline of managing the impacts of reduced water availability.Addressing this challenge, the Government, is implementing the ‘Climate Resilient Integrated Water Management Project’ (CRIWMP) with technical support from the United Nations Development Programme (UNDP).This seven-year project targets vulnerable households in three river basins - the MalwathuOya, Mi Oya, and Yan Oya (rivers) – flowing through the Northern part of Sri Lanka’s Dry Zone.
These river basins are among the most exposed to the effects of climate change, have a high presence of village irrigation systems and cascade systems on which smallholder farming populations --most of whom are women -- depend for their livelihoods. The month of March celebrates women locally and internationally. Recognising the important role women play specially in these areas, both in the familial setting and the community, the Project prioritises support to women.
March 22 is particularly known as World Water Day 2019 and this year’s theme is ‘Leaving no one behind’ – which resonates with the theme of celebrating the contribution of women.
March is a time to recognise the role of women such as Baleswary and Bisomenike, who through CRIWMP will have access to clean water, endorsing the World Water Day 2019 theme.
Through the intervention of the project, women who would otherwise trek long distances each day to fetch water, will have access to clean water and more time for their families.
Women are, therefore at the very centre of this project and the UNDP is proud to be working with them to make them more climate resilient and climate smart.
“One of the main objectives of the project is the empowerment of women in the relevant areas through their improved access to water” said Tharuka Dissanaike, a Policy Specialist with the UNDP.
“Their significant involvement in the project makes them key players in the agricultural sector, thus giving them adequate food security and sustainable livelihoods.”
Courtesy: UNDP Sri Lanka
