Although hydropower does not directly consume water, its generation frequently conflicts with other uses, notably irrigation, because its release schedule does not always correspond to the timing of water use by other activities. This article analyses a case from the Walawe river basin, Sri Lanka, where economic efficiency can be raised by reducing releases from the dam for irrigation for the benefit of hydropower generation. The tradeoff is analysed in financial and managerial terms and different options for reducing irrigation diversions are reviewed. Although the high level of current diversions for irrigation warrants the possibility of improvement in management, it is shown that finding ways to reduce supply faces technical and socio-political constraints that make the realization of economic benefits costly and difficult.
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Research Article|
March 01 2008
Irrigation versus hydropower: sectoral conflicts in southern Sri Lanka
François Molle;
François Molle
*
aInstitut de Recherche pour le Développement, 911, Avenue Agropolis BP 64501, 34394 Montpellier Cedex 5, France. Fax: 04 67 63 87 78
*Corresponding author. E-mail: [email protected]
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Priyantha Jayakody;
Priyantha Jayakody
bInternational Water Management Institute, PO BOX 2075, Colombo, Sri Lanka
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Ranjith Ariyaratne;
Ranjith Ariyaratne
bInternational Water Management Institute, PO BOX 2075, Colombo, Sri Lanka
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H. S. Somatilake
H. S. Somatilake
cInternational Water Management Institute, Ceylon Electricity Board, Kapugala, Balangoda District, Sri Lanka
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Water Policy (2008) 10 (S1): 37–50.
Article history
Received:
August 16 2007
Accepted:
August 23 2007
Citation
François Molle, Priyantha Jayakody, Ranjith Ariyaratne, H. S. Somatilake; Irrigation versus hydropower: sectoral conflicts in southern Sri Lanka. Water Policy 1 March 2008; 10 (S1): 37–50. doi: https://doi.org/10.2166/wp.2008.051
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