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1 Dissanayake, Priyanka; Smakhtin, Vladimir. 2007. Environmental and social values of river water: examples from the Menik Ganga, Sri Lanka. Colombo, Sri Lanka: International Water Management Institute (IWMI). 15p. (IWMI Working Paper 121) [doi: https://doi.org/10.3910/2009.304]
Rivers ; Ecosystems ; Wetlands ; Wildlife ; Fisheries ; Water allocation ; Water requirements ; Case studies ; Economic evaluation / Sri Lanka / Menik Ganga / Yala National Park / Yala Fishery Management Area / Pilinnawa Coastal Wetland / Kataragama
(Location: IWMI HQ Call no: IWMI 577.64 G744 DIS Record No: H040566)
(462KB)
Many decisions on water allocation in river basins are made on economic grounds. Environmental and social benefits of water should also be considered in river basin management, and attempts should be made to value them similarly. This is not a straightforward task and very few studies have directly addressed this issue to date. In this paper, the Menik Ganga (River) in southern Sri Lanka is used as a case study to attempt and evaluate the costs and benefits of environmental water allocations, referred to as ‘environmental flows’ (EF). In this study, a broad definition of EF is used: the components of EF evaluated include the requirements of the religious festival, the requirements of the Yala National Park, the requirements of the Pilinnawa Coastal Wetland and the requirements of the Yala Fishery Management Area, off the coast. Almost all estimates are based on use values of EF such as marketed goods and recreation. For some components multiple estimates have been attempted. The religious EF requirement is estimated using the cost of alternative water supplies. The benefits of the EF requirement for the Yala National Park are estimated using the forgone value of tourism in the dry season and the benefits of avoiding the Human-Elephant Conflict. The Additional expenditure for the park in the dry season is also presented as another proxy estimate of the benefits of EF. The Benefit Transfer method was used for the Pilinnawa Wetland and grassland due to data constraints. The market prices of lobster and income of chank divers are used as proxies for the economic benefits of EF to the Yala Fishery Management Area. Finally, the cumulative value of the individual components is presented and discussed. The paper intends to stimulate discussion and further research on the complex subject of valuing the social and environmental benefits of water – whether it is in the Menik Ganga, elsewhere in Sri Lanka or elsewhere in the world.
2 Evans, Alexandra; Jinapala, K. (Eds.) 2010. Proceedings of the National Conference on Water, Food Security and Climate Change in Sri Lanka, BMICH, Colombo, Sri Lanka, 9-11 June 2009. Vol. 2. Water quality, environment and climate change. Colombo, Sri Lanka: International Water Management Institute (IWMI). 174p. [doi: https://doi.org/10.3910/2010.205]
Wetlands ; Environmental flows ; Assessment ; Water allocation ; Case studies ; Rivers ; Farming systems ; Models ; Groundwater ; Aquifers ; Domestic water ; Rainfed farming ; Climate change ; Wastewater irrigation ; Rice ; Food security / Sri Lanka / Bundala National Park / Yala National Park / Walawe Ganga / Menik Ganga / Upper Mahaweli Catchment / Kurundu Oya / Kurunegala District / Wilgoda Irrigation Scheme / Attanagalu Oya Basin / Anuradhapura District
(Location: IWMI HQ Call no: IWMI 631.7 G744 EVA Record No: H042852)
(1.90 MB)
This is the second volume of the proceedings of the National Conference on ‘Water for Food and Environment’, which was held from June 9 –11, 2009 at the Bandaranaike Memorial International Conference Hall (BMICH). The volumes 1 and 3 have been produced as separate documents of this report series. In response to a call for abstracts, 81 abstracts were received from government institutes dealing with water resources and agriculture development, universities, other freelance researchers and researchers from the International Water Management Institute (IWMI). Forty seven of the eighty-one abstracts that were submitted were accepted for compiling full papers. In the past couple of years the sharp increase in food prices worldwide has raised serious concerns about food security, especially in developing countries. To effectively address these concerns a holistic approach is required that encompasses improved agricultural water productivity, adaptation to climate change, targeted and appropriate institutional and financial measures, and a consideration of environmental issues. The main purpose of the conference was to share experiences in these areas and to find opportunities to improve farmers’ incomes and food production, and to promote environmentally sustainable practices in Sri Lanka in the face of growing water scarcity and the challenges of climate change.
3 Dissanayake, Priyanka; Weragala, Neelanga; Smakhtin, Vladimir. 2010. Environmental flow assessment: recent examples from Sri Lanka. In Evans, Alexandra; Jinapala, K. (Eds). Proceedings of the National Conference on Water, Food Security and Climate Change in Sri Lanka, BMICH, Colombo, Sri Lanka, 9-11 June 2009. Vol. 2. Water quality, environment and climate change. Colombo, Sri Lanka: International Water Management Institute (IWMI). pp.23-35.
Environmental flows ; Assessment ; Rivers ; Water use ; Multiple use ; Water requirements ; Case studies / Sri Lanka / Walawe Ganga / Menik Ganga / Pilinnawa Wetland / Yala National Park
(Location: IWMI HQ Call no: IWMI 631.7 G744 EVA Record No: H042856)
Assessment and provision of Environmental Flows (EF) is important for the protection of aquatic ecosystems. EF are a set of discharges of a particular magnitude, frequency and timing that are necessary to ensure a certain range of benefits from a river. Such flows need to be scientifically determined and economically justified. Limited exposure to the concept of EF exists in developing countries. This paper gives two recent relevant example studies, which were conducted by IWMI, with foci on EF Assessment (EFA) and valuation of EF benefits in the Walawe and Menik Ganga river basins located in a semi-arid zone of southern Sri Lanka. The Walawe example illustrates the simple method for estimation of EF. The EF are approximated at two sites along the main stream of the Walawe River, which are located below the two main reservoirs. A desktop method is used, which is based on simulated, unregulated daily flow time series and their flow duration curves. The study also illustrates how the required hydrological information can be generated for the locations where EF assessment is intended – quickly and in conditions of limited observed data. The second Menik Ganga example is used as a case study to evaluate the costs and benefits of environmental water allocations. The EF components evaluated include the water needs for religious festivals, and the requirements of the Yala National Park, the Pilinnawa coastal wetland and grasslands, and the Yala Fisheries Management Area (YFMA) off the coast. Almost all estimates are based on use values of EF such as marketed goods and recreation. The paper intends to stimulate discussion and further research in the fields of EF assessment and economic valuation.
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