Feasibility of Establishing Desalination Plants at the Dry Zones of Sri Lanka

Abstract

Water scarcity has already been recognised as a major 21st century global environmental problem [1]. Water scarcity arises when the demand for fresh water in a given domain exceeds the supply. Several nations are quickly depleting their freshwater supplies, and many large river basins in both developing and developed nations are experiencing severe water scarcity. According to Sri Lanka, the country is divided into two principal divisions based on annual precipitation of 1,875 mm: Dry Zones (DZ), which account for around 70% of the country, and wet zones, which account for the remaining 30% [2]. Sri Lanka’s DZ districts such as Ampara, Anuradhapura, Batticaloa, Kurunega¬la, Hambantota, Jaffna, Kilinochchi, Kurunegala, Mullaitivu, Polonnaruwa, Puttalam, Trincomalee, Mannar and Vavuniya are experiencing extreme seasonal or year-round water scarcity [3]. Water shortage is a common concern for residents of DZs during the dry season as a result of inadequate tank storage capabilities, maintenance and operation issues, and DZ population growth [4].