Optimising water storage for climate resilience: geospatial targeting for small tanks rejuvenation in Sri Lanka

In Sri Lanka, climate change and recurrent droughts pose significant threats to agricultural communities. Village water storage tanks have been used in countries in South Asia since the third millennium BC. According to the National Tanks Survey, Sri Lanka has some 23,000 small tanks of 80 ha or les...

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Autores principales: Lopane, F. D., Ayling, S., Hoo, Y. R., Shamsudduha, M., Wang, Q., Joseph, G., Bahuguna, A.
Formato: Journal Article
Lenguaje:Inglés
Publicado: Elsevier 2025
Acceso en línea:https://hdl.handle.net/10568/173318
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author Lopane, F. D.
Ayling, S.
Hoo, Y. R.
Shamsudduha, M.
Wang, Q.
Joseph, G.
Bahuguna, A.
author_browse Ayling, S.
Bahuguna, A.
Hoo, Y. R.
Joseph, G.
Lopane, F. D.
Shamsudduha, M.
Wang, Q.
author_facet Lopane, F. D.
Ayling, S.
Hoo, Y. R.
Shamsudduha, M.
Wang, Q.
Joseph, G.
Bahuguna, A.
author_sort Lopane, F. D.
collection Repository of Agricultural Research Outputs (CGSpace)
description In Sri Lanka, climate change and recurrent droughts pose significant threats to agricultural communities. Village water storage tanks have been used in countries in South Asia since the third millennium BC. According to the National Tanks Survey, Sri Lanka has some 23,000 small tanks of 80 ha or less; however, 21 percent are currently non-functional due to decades of neglect. This study designs a National Prioritisation Index for the rejuvenation of small tanks, employing a geospatial approach. Our research disaggregates district-level statistics at a 1 km resolution to map the demand from agricultural-dependent populations. We then construct several prioritisation indices that evaluate tanks from supply, demand, and utility for groundwater rejuvenation perspectives. Our findings highlight priority areas for tank rejuvenation concentrated in Kurunegala and Anuradhapura districts. The indices developed in this study provide a framework for targeting investments effectively, thereby optimising resource allocation for drought mitigation efforts. The approach can support enhancement of water security and resilience in vulnerable agricultural communities across Sri Lanka and in other parts of South Asia which are reliant on such infrastructure for water storage.
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publishDate 2025
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spelling CGSpace1733182025-12-08T09:54:28Z Optimising water storage for climate resilience: geospatial targeting for small tanks rejuvenation in Sri Lanka Lopane, F. D. Ayling, S. Hoo, Y. R. Shamsudduha, M. Wang, Q. Joseph, G. Bahuguna, A. In Sri Lanka, climate change and recurrent droughts pose significant threats to agricultural communities. Village water storage tanks have been used in countries in South Asia since the third millennium BC. According to the National Tanks Survey, Sri Lanka has some 23,000 small tanks of 80 ha or less; however, 21 percent are currently non-functional due to decades of neglect. This study designs a National Prioritisation Index for the rejuvenation of small tanks, employing a geospatial approach. Our research disaggregates district-level statistics at a 1 km resolution to map the demand from agricultural-dependent populations. We then construct several prioritisation indices that evaluate tanks from supply, demand, and utility for groundwater rejuvenation perspectives. Our findings highlight priority areas for tank rejuvenation concentrated in Kurunegala and Anuradhapura districts. The indices developed in this study provide a framework for targeting investments effectively, thereby optimising resource allocation for drought mitigation efforts. The approach can support enhancement of water security and resilience in vulnerable agricultural communities across Sri Lanka and in other parts of South Asia which are reliant on such infrastructure for water storage. 2025-02 2025-02-21T05:47:30Z 2025-02-21T05:47:30Z Journal Article https://hdl.handle.net/10568/173318 en Open Access Elsevier Lopane, F. D.; Ayling, S.; Hoo, Y. R.; Shamsudduha, M.; Wang, Q.; Joseph, G.; Bahuguna, A. 2025. Optimising water storage for climate resilience: geospatial targeting for small tanks rejuvenation in Sri Lanka. Journal of Environmental Management, 374:124031. [doi: https://doi.org/10.1016/j.jenvman.2025.124031]
spellingShingle Lopane, F. D.
Ayling, S.
Hoo, Y. R.
Shamsudduha, M.
Wang, Q.
Joseph, G.
Bahuguna, A.
Optimising water storage for climate resilience: geospatial targeting for small tanks rejuvenation in Sri Lanka
title Optimising water storage for climate resilience: geospatial targeting for small tanks rejuvenation in Sri Lanka
title_full Optimising water storage for climate resilience: geospatial targeting for small tanks rejuvenation in Sri Lanka
title_fullStr Optimising water storage for climate resilience: geospatial targeting for small tanks rejuvenation in Sri Lanka
title_full_unstemmed Optimising water storage for climate resilience: geospatial targeting for small tanks rejuvenation in Sri Lanka
title_short Optimising water storage for climate resilience: geospatial targeting for small tanks rejuvenation in Sri Lanka
title_sort optimising water storage for climate resilience geospatial targeting for small tanks rejuvenation in sri lanka
url https://hdl.handle.net/10568/173318
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