Twenty cascade systems including 100 tanks to be restored in Malwathu Oya

Agriculture and Plantation Industries Minister Mahinda Amaraweera stated that under the project to reduce the adverse effects of small-scale agricultural projects under the Agriculture and Plantation Industries Ministry, a programme to restore 100 tanks in the Malwathu Oya basin has been started.

A discussion on this programme was held on Monday (12) at the Agriculture Ministry and it was attended by the Agriculture and Plantation Industries Minister, MP Duminda Dissanayake, Ministry Secretary Janaka Dharmakeerthi and others.

A number of projects have been started to improve the living standards of the farmers engaged in agricultural activities in the difficult areas of the districts like Kurunegala, Puttalam, Anuradhapura, Matale and Vavuniya by the Small-Scale Agricultural Projects Mitigation Project which is a foreign funded project.

Under it, priority has been given to the restoration of the well-known cascade system.

Thus, all the tanks belonging to the cascade systems located in Mee Oya, Deduru Oya and Malwathu Oya basins will be renovated.

One hundred tanks belonging to 20 cascade systems in Anuradhapura, Vavuniya and Mannar districts belonging to Malwathu Oya basin will be redeveloped under this project. Accordingly, 37 tanks in Anuradhapura, 32 tanks in Vavuniya, and 31 tanks in Mannar have been selected and the work has been started by now, said project director Gayan Mallavatissa to reduce adverse effects on small-scale agricultural projects.

Under this scheme, Rs. 15.5 million will be allocated for the renovation of one tank and a 1.4 km road system will be modernised under each tank. Thus, Rs. 573 million will be spent in Anuradhapura district, Rs. 496 million in each district in Vavuniya and Mannar for the reconstruction of the cascade system.

This step is taken by the project to reduce the adverse effects of these small-scale agricultural projects operating in the zone of Deduru Oya, Mee Oya and Malwathu Oya, where most of the cascade systems in the country are located, which have been designated not only as a national heritage of this country but also as a world heritage by the UNESCO.

The Minister also advised the officials of the project to speed up the renovation activities.

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