Sri Lanka, Dec. 22 -- Sri Lanka has been ranked in the second-lowest tier of the water security metric as measured by the Asian Development Bank in its Asian water development outlook 2020.

Sri Lanka also underperforms when the metric controls for gross national income per capita. New Zealand is the most secure country in the report with Japan, Australia, and South Korea close behind.

The Asian Development Bank is currently funding a Water and Wastewater Management Improvement Investment Program in the Greater Colombo region.

The projects innovative features include trenchless technology, district metered areas, and a wastewater treatment plant constructed through a Design-Build-Operate contract.

The report notes: 'The urban growth ra...