Water and sanitation

Many households will meet minimum food needs only by depleting essential livelihood assets – a sharp deterioration compared with the previous year.

For a nation of nearly 90 million people, the limits of traditional water management have been laid bare. Whether Iran’s new strategies can avert wider social and ecological breakdown remains a central question for policymakers, communities, and neighbouring countries alike.

Experts point out that recovery fund and planned reconstruction must also prioritise restoring agricultural capacity, irrigation and roads – because Sri Lanka’s food security and export-based economy depend critically on them.

Sri Lanka faces a challenging road ahead: rebuilding damaged infrastructure, restoring health services, and ensuring clean water access are urgent priorities.

The World Health Organization (WHO) warned that floods significantly raise the risk of vector-borne, food-borne and water-borne diseases, urging communities to prevent mosquito bites, ensure food safety and use safe drinking water wherever possible.

It demands not just emergency medical resources, but long-term planning – from urban infrastructure to water governance – to break the cycle of mosquito-borne disease.

Funding is not allocated specifically for fluoride-affected areas but is provided for the overall provision of safe tap water, the minister said.

This marks a substantial leap from August 2019, when only 3.23 crore rural households (just 16.7 per cent) had access to tap water, the minister of state for jal shakti, V Somanna said in a written reply to a question in Lok Sabha on Thursday.