Hope in the air

-- For Sri Lanka -- reeling under water and power crises -- the answer may well be blowing in the wind. Even as the country is in the grip of an acute water shortage, frequent load-shedding has compounded its denizens' woes. The two problems are inextricably linked, what with the depleting hydropower reservoirs causing power disruptions. But there's hope. To tide over the drought-like situation, the officials are set to tap wind energy.

A pilot wind power project is already underway in the southern district of Hambantota, which has been experiencing a dry spell for the past three years. The electricity board has identified six more sites for new wind projects.

The island nation's energy demand is increasing by 10 per cent annually -- a growth rate which will require it to double existing capacity within seven years.