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| Sunday, 28 November 2004 |
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Features |  |
| News Business Features Editorial
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Kurunegala tank desilting project : An useless endeavour The Kurunegala tank desilting project which was started by the UNP regime created innumerable hardships and difficulties for residents of Kurunegala town. The worst of these was the shortage of water during the severe drought. People were deprived of the water service from the tank. Many wells in the vicinity were also dry due to the draining out of the water from the tank. by S. Yatawara (former Irrigation Engineer, Mahaweli Authority of Sri Lanka) Water from the Kurunegala tank is not being used for agricultural purposes. Earlier, the water from this tank was pumped and supplied for domestic use within the town. However, the Water Supply and Drainage Board (WS & DB) supplied water from Deduru Oya, through a pipe line directly to filtration tanks situated on a hillock adjacent to the Kachcheri premises. Water was thus distributed for domestic use. Provision has also been made to augment the storage of this tank through this pipe line, if found necessary. Improvements to the diversion structure through Deduru Oya were also carried out recently in order to increase the storage volume at the source of distribution for domestic use. Therefore, the WS & DB does not depend on water from this tank, unless in an emergency situation. Many people living in the vicinity use this tank for bathing and washing clothes daily from dawn to dusk. Municipal Council (MC) regulation, which prohibit these activities are not being enforced for various reasons. Therefore, beneficiaries of were those people who were dependant on water from the tank throughout the year. The situation being such, desilting of the tank and increasing the existing tank capacity, is an exercise undertaken in vain. It would not have any beneficial effects even for the people who use the tank for their daily requirements. Therefore, the expenditure incurred is a colossal wastage of funds. Ridiculous The events which culminated with the desilting of the tank started in the latter part of 2002, when the MC engaged a couple of excavators to dredge the tank. This work was carried out while there was still water in the tank. These excavators scooped the sludge consisting of clay mud, silt and water and dumped it along the upstream boundaries of the tank bund. With the first few showers of rain the deposited material was washed back into the tank. It is therefore, very obvious that this ridiculous operation, which would have cost the ratepayers a considerable amount, was carried out without consulting any technically qualified person. It was immediately afterwards that WS & DB investigations revealed that the tank water was highly polluted and not fit for human use. The logical action that should have followed in this respect would have been to consult suitably qualified personnel to identify the source and the cause for the pollution and obtain their recommendations for remedial measures. But whether such investigations were carried out is doubtful. My opinion is that the polluting agents would probably have been in a dormant state over a long period of time in the accumulated material on the tank bed, and the severe disturbance caused by the operation of the excavators would have precipitated these pollutants into an active state. If that was the case, the available option would have been to drain the water in the tank and allow time for the sediments to settle back to the original state. It can, however be presumed that such pollutants would be absent within the areas of the tank used daily by the people, as they would be pushed further away due to the turbulence created by the activities of the people. Inconveniences It was at this stage that the tank water was completely drained by cutting open the bund and a hive of activity was put in motion. Earthmoving machines cut and loaded tippers and tractors which transported their loads in all directions and dumped them sometimes upto 5-6 km away. However, after some weeks these activities came to a halt as the available funds were exhausted. At that stage not even 50 per cent of work was completed. It looked as if the work had been abandoned. Trees commonly known as 'jam trees' started to grow all over. Very soon the whole area was a jungle of trees as high as eight feet or more. People of the area were helpless when the drought set in. Some people dug wells on the tank bed which probably yielded some water. Due to the various inconveniences caused, people were critical of this project. With the general election date being announced, government funds were allocated to restart work. However, this work which was not completed even by election date, had been completed by the present UPFA Govt. The tank and its surrounding area is still one of the most beautiful locations in Kurunegala. Owing to its natural setting and strategic location in close proximity to the town there is vast potential to develop and transform the tank and its environs as a transit location for tourists and also to be used for recreational purposes of the general public. Such development would undoubtedly generate ample employment opportunities and also much needed income for the MC. Towards achieving the objectives of the above suggested development projects, the excavated material from the tank bed could have been utilised by filling and constructing an island in the middle of the tank with an approach road leading to it from land and by filling and widening the existing land area between the perimeter road and the edge of the tank on the opposite side of the Ranthaliya Rest House to a certain distance depending on the balance filling material available. Consequently, the huge expenditure that was incurred on haulage of the excavated material over a wide area could have been saved, which in return would have allowed other connected development works to be undertaken. |
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