Sri Lanka is a small island country off the coast of India. The economy has traditionally been made up of plantations producing rubber, cinnamon, and tea. While these remain very important exports today, Sri Lanka has also moved towards food processing, textiles, telecommunications, and finance. Tourists to the culturally diverse and ecologically rich region also help to support the economy. While geographically small, the country is home to over 20 million residents.
Because of their proximity, Sri Lanka and India face many of the same pollution problems. However, Sri Lanka fares better in environmental pollution overall. This article will cover these areas of pollution in Sri Lanka:
Summary of Pollution in Sri Lanka
Yale University’s 2020 Environmental Performance Index (EPI) survey found that Sri Lanka performs poorly in Environmental Pollution. The country received a score of 39 of 100 points and ranked at 109 of 180 countries evaluated.
Download Full Report: Sri Lanka EPI Country Profile
Southeast Asia is a particularly polluted region of the world, but Sri Lanka outperforms many of the surrounding countries in most metrics evaluated by the EPI. Additionally, most pollution scores for the country ranked right around world averages.
Air Pollution in Sri Lanka
Overall air pollution in Sri Lanka ranked at 91 out of 180 countries according to the EPI report with a score of 37.8 of 100. Sri Lanka finds its lowest air pollution score to be in household solid fuels, at just 27.3 of 100 points. This means that household burning of coal and wood significantly contributes to air pollution in Sri Lanka.
Along with household solid fuel burning, air pollution in Sri Lanka is caused by:
- Vehicle emissions
- Burning of organic waste
- Petroleum refining industry
The city of Colombo, in particular, has consistently poor air quality due to the dense population and industry present there.
Learn more about air quality standards and measurement.
Water Pollution in Sri Lanka
Sri Lanka faces pollution issues in its groundwater, surface water, as well as in the ocean. Water pollution in the country is caused by:
- Sewage dumping into lakes and rivers
- Agricultural runoff
- Oil spills
- Poor wastewater management
These practices cause health issues not only for marine and freshwater ecosystems but also for the residents of Sri Lanka as they affect the quality of drinking water in the country.
Sri Lanka’s Water Quality
Drinking water is much more accessible in Sri Lanka compared to the rest of South Asia. 94% of residents had access to healthy drinking water as of 2012, despite water pollution issues.
Drinking Water
- Rank: 81/180
- EPI Score: 46.6/100
Although wastewater management was not evaluated in the 2020 study, other reports have found that wastewater is poorly managed in the country, especially in urban low-income communities. However, like drinking water, Sri Lanka’s wastewater treatment ranks above neighboring South Asian countries.
Land Pollution in Sri Lanka
Since Sri Lanka’s economy relies so much on agriculture, most land pollution is caused by runoff of pesticides that can harm soil health. Sri Lanka also does not have proper solid waste management systems, so garbage is able to pile up and pollute the land.
Solid Waste Management
- Ranking: 119/180
- EPI Score: 4.4/100
Ecosystem Services
- Ranking: 74/180
- EPI Score: 37.8/100
Sri Lanka has also undergone a significant amount of recent habitat loss to make way for more farms and industries (hence the low ecosystem services score).
Key Takeaways
Here’s the big picture of pollution in Sri Lanka:
- Overall EPI Ranking: 109/180
- Air Pollution: Sri Lanka’s Air pollution issues are mostly from household fuel burning, however, its air quality is much better than neighboring South Asian countries.
- Air Pollution Rank: 91/180
- Water Pollution: Pollution of surface waters from agricultural runoff and sewage dumping. However, most Sri Lankans have access to clean water.
- Drinking Water Rank: 81/180
- Land Pollution: Poor solid waste management and increased farming and industry has caused habitat loss and soil pollution.
- Solid waste management rank: 119/180
- Ecosystem services rank: 74/180