The Hon. (Dr.) Dammika Patabendi - Minister of Environment

¶ 01 Hon. Speaker, the reply is as follows.

¶ 02 (a)(i) A National Policy on the Protection and Conservation of Water Sources, their Catchments and Reservations was published by the Ministry of Lands and Land Development by Gazette No. 1894/3 of 22.12.2014.

¶ 03 The Policy assigns responsibilities to relevant agencies and establishes an implementation mechanism as set out in the Gazette for conservation of water catchments. The following actions are being taken:

¶ 04 Under provisions of the National Environmental Act, No. 47 of 1980, the Central Environmental Authority has declared sensitive aquatic bodies and water sources and reservations as Environmental Protection Areas through Special Gazettes and takes necessary measures for their conservation and management, including:

¶ 05 - Water sources and reservations within estates in Hali-Ela Divisional Secretariat Division – Gazette Extraordinary No. 2335/21 of 09.06.2023; - Gregory Lake in Nuwara Eliya District – Gazette Extraordinary No. 1487/10 of 05.03.2007; - Bolgoda Lake system in Colombo and Kalutara Districts – Gazette Extraordinary No. 1634/23 of 30.10.2009; - Ethalai Kulam Tank in Batticaloa District – Gazette Extraordinary No. 2369/39 of 02.02.2024.

¶ 06 From inception, the Department of Irrigation has developed and protected water resources in all river basins. In 2018, a River Basin Management Unit was established in the Department to better manage river systems. Its focus includes:

¶ 07 - Maintaining reservations; - Regulating sand mining; - Regulating mini-hydropower; - Protecting river reservations; - Participating as a committee member in issuing Environmental Protection Licences for small projects; - Issuing recommendations for projects in river basins; - Addressing unregulated siting of houses and industries and direct discharge of waste; - Awareness and legal action against households/industries discharging waste; - Cleaning solid waste and invasive aquatic plants; - Shramadana and awareness; - Maintaining river morphology; - Protecting riverbanks with eco-friendly solutions; - Monitoring water quality.

¶ 08 The Department is strengthening field-level officers and has commenced zonal awareness programmes.

¶ 09 District Secretariats undertake actions including:

¶ 10 - Preventing human activities harmful to the continuity and sustainability of natural streams and banks; - Ensuring extractions from streams comply with laws and regulations; - Minimizing the use of reservation limits for other purposes; proposing reservations where private boundaries abut; - Ensuring sustainability of canals while protecting reservations, demarcation of boundaries in coordination with line ministries, tree planting, and conserving riparian vegetation; - Community awareness at DSD level (display boards); - Identifying spring locations, building data systems, and providing data for conservation; - Ensuring land alienation for housing/agriculture protects streams, springs and reservations; - Preventing discharge of solid waste, wastewater, and chemicals to water bodies through PHI awareness, and coordination committees; - Recommending through local and district land use committees to protect waterways, reservations, and catchments and prevent illegal land use.

¶ 11 (a)(ii) Under the State Lands Ordinance, No. 8 of 1947, reservation widths are based mainly on the surface width of the canal/stream:

¶ 12 - If bed width < 3 m: reservation 5 m on either side; - 3 m to 8 m: 10 m either side; - 8 m to 15 m: 20 m either side; - 15 m to 22 m: 40 m either side.

¶ 13 Reservations are set on State lands. Private land banks must not be harmed.

¶ 14 (a)(iii) Yes.

¶ 15 (a)(iv) Upon confirmation through a joint inspection by the Land Officer, Land Use Officer and Grama Niladhari, the Divisional Secretary evicts encroachers.

¶ 16 (b)(i) Stream reservations may fall within freehold lands. However, in issuing permits/leases over State land, after inspection for land suitability, permits within reservation limits are not issued.

¶ 17 (b)(ii) According to the Kalutara District Secretary, no stream reservation lands have been given as freehold in Kalutara.

¶ 18 (b)(iii) If such has occurred, after a joint field inspection, reacquisition is carried out.

¶ 19 (c) Not applicable.