Friday Apr 19, 2024
Friday Apr 19, 2024
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President Maithripala Sirisena at the inauguration of the Eighth Parliament stated: “It must be acknowledged that managing the post-conflict situation is a long and challenging process. When we assumed duties, that task had been delayed for more than seven years. We have to eliminate the war mentality which is embedded in our policy and replace it with reconciliation and coexistence… It is my aim to realise these objectives while I’m in office,” the President said.
The country suffered due to the 30-year war, but the worst affected was the north. While losing numbers of the population, infrastructure, housing and cultivations were devastated, making many others flee the country. The Government has made efforts to reconcile and nearly 75% of military-held lands were released to owners, over 50% of IDPs have been resettled, and 85% of mine-contaminated lands in Jaffna cleared. Most members of LTTE cadres were uneducated and from lower castes in a caste-dominated region. The result is that over 50% ex-LTTE cadres are unemployed and have been refused acceptance from their own society.
Most damaged Government buildings and roads have been rebuilt. But how about other development? While huge development projects were launched in the south, investments in the Northern Province is insignificant. Northerners too are citizens of the country and they too contribute to indirect taxes and the north needs be supported with a fair share of development funding. This mismatch of funding surely would contribute to uneasiness in the north.
Northerners are known to be hardworking farmers and used ground water supplementing rains and cultivate onions, potatoes, chillies, maize, vegetables, grapes, etc. Introduction of mechanical pumps over the decades has increased groundwater withdrawal, resulting in seawater intrusion into the Jaffna Peninsula, making some agricultural lands unsuitable for cultivation.
A large number of uneducated people in the north have no option but agriculture, but are restricted by the availability of water. Rainfall in the north is mostly limited to November-December and if a reliable water supply is established, with availability of land, large-scale cultivations in the north will ensure employment to all. Thus, supply of irrigation water to the north needs to be considered as urgent.
The original Mahaweli Diversion Plan proposed by Maithreepala Senanayaka, Minister for Irrigation under the Sirimavo Bandaranaike Government in the 1970s, envisaged diversion of waters of Amban Ganga, a major tributary of Mahaweli to the north, with dams at Moragahakanda and Kaluganga. The collected waters to be transferred along the North Central Province (NCP) canal to satisfy needs of farmers north of Medawachchiya, who receive lowest rainfall in the country, the canal system leading water all the way to Iranamadu Tank. The Sirimavo Government during 1973-’77 completed Mahaweli diversion from Polgolla including Ukuwela and Bowatenna works, diverting water to Kalawewa.
According to the Mahaweli Master Plan of 1968, the development of Mahaweli was to be implemented as three projects; (a) Polgolla Diversion, (b) Victoria, Minipe Diversion and (c) Moragahakanda Reservoir, to provide irrigation facilities to North and North-Central Provinces.
After Sirimavo, J.R. Jayewardene Government, elected to power in 1977, modified the original program, dropped Moragahakanda, under an accelerated program completed dams and power plants at Victoria, Randenigala and Rantembe and the Right Bank Channel delivering water to Maduru Oya and System C, all in six years. These irrigation facilities are responsible for the country achieving near self-sufficiency in rice. But 1983 riots suspended further development activities in the country.
Communal riots in 1983 resulted most countries boycotting Sri Lanka, still the Japanese were prepared to help and at the request of JRJ produced the document ‘The Study on Extension of Moragahakanda Agricultural Development Project Master Plan, July 1989’ by Japan International Corporation Agency, available at open_jicareport.jica.go.jp/pdf/10766186_01.pdf.
The Japanese plan was extremely complex and included:
(a) North-Central canal originating from Kaluganga/Moragahakanda terminating at Medawachchiya.
(b) Raising Minipe anicut and a higher elevation canal parallel to existing Minipe canal delivering water to Minneriya tank.
(c) Pump station to deliver wasting Mahaweli waters to NCP canal.
In addition, the NCP canal system would continue northwards joining Kanaganaran Aru that feed Iranamadu Tank near Kilinochchi.
When the implementation was suspended due to ongoing war, the understanding amongst the political rulers was to leave Moragahakanda waters as part of the negotiations with Tamil parties during the final settlement of the ethnic problem. The waters of Moragahakanda would be a gift to people in the north from the Sinhala people for agreeing to settle the ethnic issue.
Although the Japanese proposal was not implemented, over the decades the Mahaweli Authority’s plans for Moragahakanda water was based on Japanese proposals.
When Moragahakanda foundation was laid in January 2007, Mahaweli engineers had sufficient time to improve the Japanese proposal. After MR’s re-election in 2010, the Mahaweli Ministry came under Chamal Rajapaksa, but brother Basil ran the Ministry. After winning the 30-year war, thinking among Rajapaksas was “water from Sinhala areas should not be given to Tamils”. Under the instructions of Basil Rajapaksa and the President, water distribution system was modified, leaving only drinking water to Iranamadu, meanwhile construction of Moragahakanda dam continued.
Projects under Moragahakanda are an extremely complex system of water distribution of Mahaweli and Amban Ganga waters. The system includes transfer of Moragahakanda waters to North Central and Northern Provinces. Another project proposes transfer waters from Randenigala to Kaluganga reservoir, enabling greater power generation in Victoria and waters be still available to distribution to the north. Also included in Phase 1 is the North Western Province Canal diverting water from Dambulu Oya and existing Nalanda Reservoir, which is really transfer of diverted Mahaweli waters from Polgolla and independent of Moragahakanda.
For convenience of implementation the project was divided to three phases. But the division overlooked the principal purpose envisaged in original planning; supply of irrigation waters to regions north of Medawachchiya that receive lowest rainfall in the country. As per the current programme north will receive water only in 2032, if all plans go according to schedule.
Modified Moragahakanda plan was submitted to Asian Development Bank and funding agreed for Phase 1 in 2013. Details of project is given below.
Phase 1 (2015 to 2024)
Projects to be completed by 2024 under ADB funding:
1.Kaluganga – Moragahakanda tunnel and transfer canal.
2.Construction of 65km Upper Elahera Canal (UEC) to transfer water from Moragahakanda to Yakalla. At Yakalla water would be transferred to Huruluwewa, Manankattiya reservoirs and through a feeder canal to Mahakanadarawa tank.
3.North Western Province Canal diverting water from Dambulu Oya and existing Nalanda Reservoir.
4.Raising existing weir height of Minipe anicut to improve diversion of Mahaweli water and rehabilitate the 76km long ancient canal system.
Phase 2 (2024-2027), funding to be arranged.
Projects to be implemented:
1.First 30km of North Central Province Canal (NCPC) Project, transferring water northwards from Yakalla to Kahatagasdigiliya located near Anuradhapura Trincomalee road.
2.Canal to transfer water from Randenigala dam to Kalu Ganga reservoir (first section).
3.Lower Uma Oya dam, tunnel and powerhouse to increase water supply to Randenigala.
4.Pumping Mahaweli water at Kalinga Nuwara to Minneriya via Angamedilla, also to UEC.
Phase 3 (2028-2032)
1.Balance works on the 40km long Randenigala-Kaluganga canal.
2.Final stretch of 60km long NCP canal, from Kahatagasdigiliya to Chemadukulam reservoir, but half the canal length is still within NCP, providing water to minor tanks in NCP. Balance water will follow natural drainage and deliver 100 MCM/annum into Iranamadu Reservoir.
Earlier Mahaweli projects as Polgolla Diversion and Accelerated Mahaweli Programmes targeted in delivery of water to the project’s ultimate location; water distribution to users was afterwards. But in the construction of Moragahakanda dam, canal system to distribute stored water was neglected, resulting Moragahakanda waters have no users until completion of Upper Elahera Canal to Yakalla in 2024 (for part of water).
Construction of main distribution channels would be completed only in 2032, meanwhile allowing various politicians and organisations to tamper with water distribution. Earlier projects completed water main delivery network in less than seven years. Moragahakanda project costing Rs. 61.2 billion, and water not being issued to waiting farmers, results in poor return on investment.
The President originating from Polonnaruwa is also the Minister for Mahaweli Development. He was very much interested in Moragahakanda and to supplement irrigation waters to Polonnaruwa farmers. Moragahakanda project is extremely complex and cannot be fully understood easily.
Under Phase 3, Iranamadu Tank is expected to receive 100 MCM/annum (million cubic meters) in 2032 through Kanakanarayan Aru as drinking water. Meanwhile under Phase 1, North Western Province Canal will deliver 130MCM of water diverted from Dambulu Oya and existing Nalanda Reservoir (but mostly diverted waters from Polgolla) in a project costing $ 200 million, the project has no relation to Moragahakanda.
Completion of Phases 1 and 2 consuming 12 years, Moragahakanda waters will reach only Kahatagasdigiliya, located east of Anuradhapura. All recipients are current irrigation systems getting additional waters. Even under Phase 3, half of 60km long NCP canal will supply existing minor tanks in NCP and only remaining water will reach Chemadukulam reservoir.
When Moragahakanda was planned during the 1960s, the project was expected to deliver water to country’s north beyond Medawachchiya receiving annual rainfall of 1,200-1,500mm, whereas NCP receives 1,800-2,000mm. Current plans propose issue of additional water to existing irrigation systems, promised by politicians.
The Northern Province includes Jaffna peninsula, also Kilinochchi and Mullaitivu Districts in the mainland. The north was not ruled by Sinhala kings and is without irrigation schemes. Iranamadu tank in Kilinochchi was built by the British. But water in Iranamadu tank is insufficient for cultivation of available lands. Current ADB-aided programme of Jaffna water supply project expected to transfer part of Iranamadu water is resented by the locals.
Among the world’s nations Sri Lanka is most fortunate to receive plentiful rainfall. Our dry-zone receives more rain than most countries. Paddy cultivation consumes largest quantum of water. With the mechanisation of paddy cultivation and harvesting, farm labour is reduced to a minimum and farmers prefer paddy cultivation.
In 1978, World Bank officials funding Accelerated Mahaweli under the JRJ Government informed that Sri Lankan farmer consumes the highest quantum of water in the world for paddy cultivation and emphasised the need to reduce for the success of the Mahaweli programme. Japanese proposals in 1989 informed supply of irrigation water to farmers should be only 60%. Farmers need to be educated for better use of rainwater and coordinated cultivation practices, to reduce water issue period from irrigation tanks, possible with current mechanisation.
When additional waters are issued to thousands of minor irrigation systems in NCP, farmers would shift over to paddy cultivation during both seasons. The country is almost self-sufficient in rice, would result an excess over consumption. Few years ago, excess rice had to be donated to UN as humanitarian aid as our rice is unsuitable to export.
Although the Government has carried out measures to address problems in the north, uneasiness continues. Most issues are the result of destroyed housing, disruption of education and agricultural works due to war; for helpless population, scapegoat is the Government resulting uneasiness exploited by politicians.
LTTE protest in London on the Independence Day resulted in the British Government demanding removal of an Army officer, which indicates the British reaction to a banned organisation. A few weeks ago when an explosion took place in a bus at Diyatalawa, text messages claimed the explosion was the work of the LTTE in revenge for the London incident, signalling undercurrents among the Tamil community.
Recent communal unrest that erupted in Teldeniya and Kandy District between Sinhala and Muslim communities indicates the underlying tension among communities that needs urgent action from the Government; the country cannot afford another crisis.
Declaring Sinhala Only as the official language by S.W.R.D. Bandaranaike created unrest in the north. However, when the Sirimavo Bandaranaike Government banned most imports during the 1971 to 1976 era, onions and chillies arrived from Jaffna at exuberant prices, making Jaffna farmers rich. During the period, northerners were too busy to protest.
Supply of cultivation water to the north will require correcting the deliberate blunder made by Rajapaksa Government which refused to issue water to the north after winning the war and diverted water to other regions, mostly as additional waters to existing irrigation systems.
The current President who claimed “aim to reconciliation and co-existence to realise objectives” could instruct Mahaweli engineers to expedite planning and construction NCP canal from Yakalla to Chemadukulam reservoir and award the construction contracts prior to ending of the current term of Government.
As currently planned, Upper Elahera Canal Phase 1 to Yakalla is expected to be completed by 2024. UEC Phase 1 is the most complicated section having to cross wild-life reservation areas as tunnels. Phase 2 and 3 have no such problems and construction would be simpler. Also the design and planning of NCP canal must be completed by now. Therefore, North Central Province Canal in Phase 2 (up to Kahatagasdigiliya) and Phase 3 (up to Chemadukulam) can be completed simultaneously to ensure, when Moragahakanda waters arrive at Yakalla in 2024, canal system allow diverted waters continue to Chemadukulam and to Iranamadu.
The supply irrigation water to Jaffna would require pumping from Iranamadu. The pumping would require much less power than the proposed pumping of Mahaweli water at Kalinga Nuwara to Minneriya, due to lower head.
The original project master plan for Moragahakanda Agricultural Development was carried out by Japanese in 1989 and the Japan International Corporation Agency is well-conversant of the project. Recent visits by Japanese businessmen and officials indicate the keenness of Japanese to help and invest in Sri Lanka. The 90km long canals (30 + 60 in Phases 1 and 2) could be awarded to number of Japanese contractors simultaneously along with affiliated construction works. The Japanese Government will agree to fund the project. Surely, if JRJ could carry out the entire Accelerated Mahaweli in six years, a 90km-long canal cannot be an engineering challenge.
When Moragahakanda waters are delivered to the north as originally proposed by Maithreepala Senanayaka in the 1960s, it will solve the drinking and irrigation water problems in Kilinochchi and Jaffna districts; in addition will arrest seawater intrusion into their farmlands.
When contracts are awarded to NCP canal in Phases 2 and 3, northerners will have a definite target of getting water for cultivation. The hope of getting ample cultivation water would disperse uneasiness in the north, as people could hope for better living standards.
The northerners would be grateful to the President and the southerners for the gesture and animosities will disappear, bonding north with south. They would be mindful that their prosperity lies on the cordial relationship with the south and dare not demand separatism anymore, leading to reconciliation between north and south forever.
