The United Nations General Assembly designated 22 March as World Water Day, focusing attention on the importance of freshwater and advocating for the sustainable management of freshwater resources. This year’s theme, Nature for Water, explored how nature can be used to overcome the water challenges of the 21^st century.

In Sri Lanka, the Food and Agriculture Organization (FAO) in partnership with the Natural Resource Management Center (NRMC) of the Department of Agriculture marked World Water Day in the Central Highlands. The region includes watersheds feeding major rivers in Sri Lanka that immensely contribute to agriculture, hydropower generation and water for human consumption. It plays a vital role in generating ecosystem services for the country as a whole including provisioning of water for downstream areas of the island and provision of critical habitats for biodiversity.

A campaign by FAO and the NRMC on micro watershed conservation for sustainable management of water was held at the Rathya Ulpatha mini catchment in Walapane, in the Nuwara Eliya district. A participatory land restoration plan was prepared by the Land Use Policy Planning Department while a programme to create awareness on land restoration planning was conducted among farmer communities, Government stakeholders, NGOs and the private sector. The importance of a combined approach by all parties to conserve and rehabilitate watersheds for the efficient use of water resources such as natural streams and irrigation tanks was highlighted.

The World Water Day programme was organized by the Global Environment Facility (GEF) funded project to rehabilitate degraded agricultural land in the Central Highlands, mainly in the Badulla, Nuwara Eliya and Kandy districts. The project is implemented by FAO in collaboration with the Ministry of Mahaweli Development and Environment, and in close consultation with the NRMC.