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Point
of View It is also relevant to study the changes in weather patterns during the past four or five decades as most of the tanks earmarked for restoration will depend on rainwater for storage and irrigation if there are no feeder channels. Due to the recurrent droughts over the recent years mostly affecting the dry zone, the restoration of tanks in these areas may not meet the requirements of water. It would be appropriate if the records of the Department of Meteorology for the past 60 -70 years are carefully analyzed to see whether there have been any changes to the rainfall patterns due to the Al Nino effect. It is also pertinent to state that the North Central Provincial Council in early 2001 embarked on a similar project to dig large water storage pits incurring millions of rupees and this was a complete environmental and irrigation disaster. There are a total of 304 major irrigation schemes with tanks and feeder channels covering 21 administrative districts. These irrigation schemes were targeted to irrigate a total of 258,424 hectares. In addition there are a total of 119 major anicut schemes that could irrigate 49,500 hectares. Accordingly a total of 423 major irrigation and anicut schemes are capable of irrigating 307,931 hectares of land mainly paddy lands in the Dry Zone. The Accelerated Mahaweli Project and the existing and projected irrigation schemes under the Mahaweli Master Plan is targeted to cultivate a total of 212, 977 hectares. Accordingly the total area that is presently capable of supplying water by the existing and projected irrigation schemes would be 520,908 hectares. Out of the total land area of 6.6 million hectares, a total of 1 million hectares has been excluded as streams and stream reservations - areas inundated by large and small reservoirs, steep lands, etc. The balance 5.5 million hectares is land available for other uses. From this total 2 million hectares will remain under forests. The balance 3.5 million hectares are agricultural land and homestead gardens. A total of 1.7 million hectares or 26.7 percent of the country is agricultural land under tea, rubber and coconut and paddy. The government should take a fresh look at this tank restoration project and carefully evaluate the impact it will have on the increase in agricultural production specially paddy cultivation and yield. The restoration of tanks should focus on double cropping and increasing the cropping intensity by improving the irrigation facilities rather than resorting to restoration of abandoned tanks on an ad hoc basis that will not have any feeder channel systems and provide water for both Yala and Maha seasons. An alternate plan is to study the present irrigation schemes and see how the flow of water could be enhanced or augmented by clearing or dredging the present irrigation channels from major tanks. The government should abandon the restoration of 10,000 tanks and carry out an in-depth study of the present irrigation systems and formulate a long term strategy for increasing paddy yield by double cropping. The ad-hoc restoration of tanks will also have a major impact on the bio diversity in certain areas where there are sensitive eco systems. For example if you try to restore the Lahugala tank it will permanently disturb the elephant population and other wild animals. There is also a great danger of these tanks earmarked for restoration running dry due to the change in weather patterns. Further if there is an imbalance of the present eco systems it could lead to irreversible environmental damage. This project is bound to fail as it is done without any scientific investigations such as environmental impact assessments and evaluation of the present irrigation systems of the country. (The writer is a retired Economic Affairs Officer of ESCAP and Director Geological Survey Department 1985 -1987) |
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