De-Silting of minor irrigation reservoirs : a study on major stakeholder opinions

Minor irrigation reservoirs, commonly known as village tanks in Sri Lanka, play a vital role in the economic and social spheres of the rural village population, especially in the dry zone of Sri Lanka. A major issue of these reservoirs is the capacity reduction over time and the resulting rapid drying-up during the dry seasons of the year. Siltation of the reservoir bed is one of the major causes for decreasing storage capacity over time. As a remedial action, the Department of Irrigation launched a programme to de-silt the village tanks. This programme has received both positive and negative criticism. Therefore, the current study focuses on a collection of data from a sample area in order to evaluate the opinions of the major stakeholders, namely, farmers and the officials of the Government departments involved in these schemes. The specific objective of this paper is to highlight the opinions and concerns of the two stakeholder groups. The methodology includes a literature review, a sample survey (n=60) on 20 minor irrigation reservoirs in the Kurunegala district, and quantitative analyses on the collected data. The paper discusses stakeholder opinions on factors that could contribute to effective de-silting operations including catchment protection. It also highlights the necessity of stakeholder involvement in de-silting operations

Community stakeholder viewpoints on issues of urbanisation along the river Ma Oya, Sri Lanka

Rivers situated in peri-urban landscapes are prime natural resource bases supplying the construction industry associated with urbanisation. The study analyses and presents the river Ma Oya community stakeholders views on the impacts of river resource uses. Systematic stakeholder consultations revealed that while the river is the source for water supply for many cities, sand and clay mining for construction industry and dumping waste are the major sectors causing negative impacts. Essential remedial measures proposed are fair and effective intervention of Government authorities, stakeholder (including politicians) education together with technical measures and economic instruments to internalize the externalities caused by social and environmental degradation

Approach for grass-root stakeholder consultations: case of maoya river

Most development projects/activities in river basins are planned and implemented independently by the relevant agencies based on sectoral interests (e.g. water for irrigation, mining of clay on river banks) for economic or political benefits. Generally the agency which develops the project assumes total control of the project's resources and its assets, and expects others agencies and stakeholders to adjust to the changes in the availability of the resources (Helmi and Ifdal , 2003)

Public perceptions on urban outdoor constructions and their materials

Human perceptions on their environment are an important aspect that has to be considered in the development construction works to meet the common final goal of a sustainable and satisfactory project. Of the perceptions, those on construction materials are important as it directly links to present day important concerns such as global warming, heat island effects etc. Though extensive research has been carried out on construction materials, the studies are limited on public perceptions on outdoor construction materials. This paper presents the detailed analysis of data collected through a sample of public on their perceptions on the paving materials of outdoor constructions; viz. pedestrian walkways and recreational areas. The methodology included a literature survey to identify the current research status, an on-line questionnaire survey carried out on a sample of public to identify their perceptions and a statistical analysis performed on the collected data. The sample consisted of 149 respondents. Additionally, temperatures were measured on the top surface of selected pavements throughout the day. The outcome of the study indicates clay brick is preferred over concrete and asphalt as the paving material for pedestrian walkways and recreational areas

Economic analysis of water infrastructure : have we got it right?

The paper describes shortcomings of the general economic analysis procedure adopted in water infrastructure development projects in Sri Lanka. As a case study an application of the ‘Educated Trade-off’ framework in the Ma Oya river basin is used to illustrate the shortcomings of general economic analysis procedure. This framework facilitates the systematic identification of resource uses and the possible range of environmental and social impacts by the water infrastructure project, through the involvement (consultation and participation) of key stakeholders. The study revealed two types of shortcomings that result in erroneous economic indicators: first, the lack of a competent process to establish the baseline situation leading to non-inclusion of some important social and environmental impacts, both positive and negative, by the project and, second, deviations from reasonable practices either due to negligence or on purposes that give decision makers optimistic data which could result in questionable decisions

Economic analysis of water infrastructure: have we got it right?

The paper describes shortcomings of the general economic analysis procedure adopted in water infrastructure development projects in Sri Lanka. As a ease study an application of the'Educated Tradfl-off framework in the Ma Ova river basin is used to illustrate the shortcomings of general economic analysis procedure. lTiis framework facilitates ttie systematic identification of resource uses and tl^e possible Tange of environmental and social impacts l>y the water infrastructure project, through fhe involvement (consultation and participation) of key Stakeholders. The study revealed two types of shortcoming* (hat result in erroneous economic indicators: first, the lack of a competent process lo establrsh the baseline situation leading to tion'-inetusioii of some important social and environmental impacts, both positive and negative., by the project and, second, deviations from reasonable practices cither due to negligence or on purposes that give decision makers optimistic data which could resuft in questionable decisions

A Decision support tool for stakeholder involvement in sustainable water resource development

This paper describes the application of a decision support tool for stakeholder involvement in a proposed water resource development project in the Ma Oya river basin in Sri Lanka. The decision support tool is a five-step framework developed based on ‘Educated Trade-offs.’ The tool assesses the natural resource uses; identifies the present and future probable issues with regard to resource uses, elicit stakeholder views and then estimate the social and environmental impacts of a proposed development project. The results obtained through the application of the framework are direct inputs for stakeholder education for informed decision-making by the takeholders. This paper highlights the stakeholder education achieved in the proposed project area and the down stream areas. The study validated the ‘Educated Trade-offs’ framework which is the decision-support tool and demonstrated its effectiveness