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| Sunday, 4 July 2004 |
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| News Business Features Editorial
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Mahaweli reservoirs neglected by Anura Maitipe The Mahaweli multi purpose project initiated by the United Front Government in 1970 was the biggest development project in the country. Although the UF government had planed it to complete in thirty years the UNP government came to power in 1977 expedited the project and, completed within seven years. The Mahawali project consist of six main reservoirs Kotmale, Victoria, Randenigala, Maduruoya, Rantabe, Ratkinda and Ulhiytiya. Apart from irrigating of crops the Mahawali produced over 80 percent of hydro electricity. The visit made by the 'Sunday Observer' ascertain the shortcomings of maintenance of this project found that most of these reservoirs have filled with mud following earth slips and soil erosion as a result the storage capacity of these reservoirs has reduced. This has caused due to destruction of forest cover for agriculture purpose and human settlements in reserved areas. The slopes reserved for catchment areas of Victoria and Randenigala reservoirs have encroached by people for cultivation purpose. Higher authorities, said with the beginning of Mahawali project these families have provided with alternative lands in Mahiyangana. However some families refused to move and they are living in surrounding areas of these reservoirs. Authorities said it is not possible to uproot these people now since they have put up permanent houses. Instead officials have taken initiatives to educate people in this areas as to how they could minimise the soil erosion by adopting various measures such as terracing of the lands and putting up hedges and cultivating of permanent crops which would cover the slopes. When asked whether there are possibility of cleaning of these tanks which had been filled with mud they said there are two ways of doing it, one way is flushing out of mud during raining season but it cannot be done because it got to be done from higher tank so when one tank was flush then mud move to other therefore the best way is cleaning of these tanks during dry season and removing of mud to remote sites. |
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