Nalina Kumuthan
Attorney-at-Law
Water and water resources are very important for maintaining an adequate food supply and a productive environment for all living organisms. Clean water is essential to the environment because it heavily influences public health and living standards. The deterioration of the natural composition of drinking water resources is called drinking water pollution which violates the rights of people such as, the right to a clean and healthy environment, the right to access to healthy and safe drinking water and the right to life. There are many incidents in Sri Lanka to confirm the above. These include the Rathupaswala groundwater pollution by a rubber glove manufacturing company in 2013, the contamination of the Kelani river due to diesel oil spillage by a multinational beverage company in 2015, well water pollution in Chunnakam due to the operations of a thermal power station since 2009, and chronic kidney disease in the dry zone of Sri Lanka due to agricultural water pollution. There are international treaties, Conventions and litigation that confer better protection to human beings by avoiding drinking water pollution. This research identifies the laws related to the protection of drinking water in Sri Lanka to defend the environment and human beings from the adverse impact of drinking water pollution within the country. Reforming and enacting the law to meet international standards and judicial activism can be a solution that prevents the adverse impact of water pollution in Sri Lanka.
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