The Cabinet of Ministers has approved a resolution to establish the Upper Watershed Management Authority, marking a formal step toward setting up a dedicated body to protect Sri Lanka’s highland catchment areas.
Cabinet sanctioned the appointment of a Technical Expert Committee to formally identify the institutional structure and operational scope of the new authority, prepare a draft bill, and roll out the body under a three-phase implementation plan, according to a Cabinet decision reported by The Island.
The resolution was submitted by President Anura Kumara Dissanayake. The Cabinet decision converts the planning work reviewed at a Presidential Secretariat meeting on April 29 into a formal government track with a Cabinet-mandated drafting committee.
The proposed authority will oversee environmental restoration and integrated management of the upper watershed region, with its remit spanning national water security, food security, disaster risk reduction, energy efficiency and climate adaptation. The April review meeting was attended by the International Union for Conservation of Nature and the Asian Development Bank, signalling external financing interest.
Sri Lanka’s Central Highlands feed the Castlereigh, Maussakelle, Victoria and Kotmale reservoir systems that anchor hydropower generation and Mahaweli irrigation. The catchment area suffered extensive landslide damage during Cyclone Ditwah in November 2025, and Irrigation Department data this week showed reservoirs at 63 per cent capacity heading into the Yala season under an El Niño-weakened southwest monsoon.
The three-phase rollout will sequence the legal mandate, institutional setup and operational programmes. No timeline was published for tabling the enabling bill in Parliament.
