Asia and pacific region should agree for a regional policy

Sri Lanka had the most advanced water management systems in the world in the ancient era

The impacts of climate change adversely affect this small island and Sri Lanka ranked as the fourth

currently the island is experiencing a massive water imbalance, triggering a great economic loss as well as risking lives of the poor and vulnerable

Palitha Range Bandara 

- State Minister of Irrigation and Water Resource Management

“Asia and Pacific region should agree for a regional policy to address water-related disaster risk reduction” said State Minister of Irrigation and Water Resource Management, Palitha Range Bandara, at a special side event on Water and Disaster Risk Reduction in Asia at the Asian Ministerial Conference on Disaster Risk Reduction (AMCDRR) 2018. He further indicated that the Ministry would give its fullest support on these efforts. The State Minister in his speech emphasised that although Sri Lanka had the most advanced water management systems in the world in the ancient era, currently the island is experiencing a massive water imbalance, triggering a great economic loss as well as risking lives of the poor and vulnerable.In addition to this, the impacts of climate change adversely affect this small island and Sri Lanka ranked as the fourth, in the recently released Global Climate Risk Index.   

The State Minister detailed these at a government-led special side event on Water and Disaster Risk Reduction in Asia, held on Wednesday, 4 June 2018 at Ulanbator, Mongolia. This special panel event was led by the Ministry of Environment and Tourism of Mongolia, with the support of Global Water Partnership (GWP) and co-hosted by the Government of Japan and High-level Experts and Leaders Panel on Water and Disaster (HELP). The event brought together international experiences and approaches in the Asian context with the leaders from organizations that have the capacity and reach to support countries in their quest to address water-related disasters and realize development gains with an all of society approach for a more sustainable development.   

The High-level Experts and Leaders Panel on Water and Disasters (HELP) produced a set of “Principles on Investment and Financing for Water-related Disaster Risk Reduction”, and launched a flagship document on good practices and lessons of drought and flood management. Featured in these documents as concrete action on the ground are international Help Desks, implemented jointly by GWP and the World Meteorological Organization (WMO) together with over 60 international organizations that are part of these joint programmes on drought and flood management.  

The Global Water Partnership (GWP) is an international network that was created to foster the implementation of Integrated Water Resources Management in order to maximise economic and social welfare without compromising the sustainability of ecosystems and the environment. Building on its efforts to strengthen climate resilience throughout Asia, GWP supported the Government of Mongolia in its leadership as part of the Asia Ministerial Conference on Disaster Risk Reduction (AMCDRR) to inspire countries across Asia to meet the most pressing targets of the Sendai Framework for Disaster Risk Reduction. 

For more details: 
www.gwp.org/en/gwp-SAS