During rainy weather, about 4000 hectares of paddy fields around the Nilwala River are constantly flooded and damaged due to flooding caused by the salinity barrier of the Nilwala River.
The Minister of Agriculture and Plantation Industry Mr. Mahinda Amaraweera instructed the Department of Agricultural Development yesterday (17) to pay close attention to this matter. The minister also stated that a large number of farmers have complained to him about crop damage due to flooding.
Since many years now, 4000 hectares of paddy fields in Matara district have been constantly flooded, due to which the farmers have lost many crops and the Agricultural and Agrarian Insurance Board has taken steps to compensate the farmers in all those cases.
It has been revealed that the cause of these floods around the Nilwala River is the salinity barrier used to prevent the sea water from entering the Nilwala River. If this salinity barrier is removed, the people of this district will also have to face a problem of drinking water due to the addition of sea water to the Nilwala River.
Therefore, taking all these matters into consideration, the Minister of Agriculture and Plantation Industries informed the officials of the Department of Agricultural Development to pay attention to the appropriateness of paddy cultivation in these paddy fields which are further under flood.
A discussion on this matter was held yesterday (17) afternoon at the Ministry of Agriculture and Plantation Industries. The Minister as well as the officials of the Department of Agrarian Development also participated in it.
A committee has been appointed as per the decision of the Cabinet to look into the facts related to whether or not the farmers of these paddy fields will be given compensation and the said paddy lands will be handed over to the government. But still no final decision has been taken in this regard.
The Department of Agrarian Development pointed out that paddy cultivation should not be expanded in these paddy lands as there is a high chance of heavy rains in the coming cropping seasons as well.
Accordingly, attention was paid not to expand paddy cultivation in paddy fields that are subject to flooding due to the salinity barrier of the Nilwala River. It was decided to prepare a program to encourage the farmers to cultivate crops other than paddy and to provide necessary financial and technical facilities to the farmers by the government.
Agrarian Development Commissioner General Mr. A. M. H. L. Abeyratne and a group of officials participated.
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