Jaffna blooms with Uthuru Wasanthaya program

By Daneshi YATAWARA

Spring is the time where everything starts blooming in vibrant colours. It is the time when fresh leaves start opening up. It is a beautiful season that captivates the senses. Spring is what every human being adores to be his prime! So does 'Northern Spring' or the Wadakkin Wasantham or Uthuru Wasanthaya. 'Wadakkin Wasantham' is designed to bring back the spring in the lives of the Northerners of this island nation.

With the Northern spring, the north rejuvenates. Evidence is seen in every nook and corner of the province. The start of better times and a time for high growth, revival and new life! It is fast recovering like the phoenix that rose from the ashes. Accommodating 5.8% of the entire Sri Lankan population, the Northern Province is showing an amazing growth economically as well as socially. Spread across 8,847 square kilometres the Northern Province, mostly the Jaffna peninsula, is attracting more travellers than to any part of the country. Its main economic sectors - i.e. agriculture, fisheries, livestock, industries and trade - are becoming spectacularly successful.

Northern Spring well known as 'Uthuru Wasanthaya' or 'Wadakkin Wasantham', was the first well-planned mega development drive the Government launched, on the directive of President Mahinda Rajapaksa after the mass exodus of the displaced civilians, following the liberation of the entire Northern Province by our valiant forces. Identifying priorities is the key factor in properly implementing such a mega project.

Northern Spring, operated under the Economic Development Ministry is a development program catering to the needs of the five districts. Infrastructure development, electricity, water supply and sanitation, agriculture, irrigation, livestock development, inland fisheries, health, solid waste disposal, education, sports, cultural affairs and transportation are some of the areas that will be included under the program.

The North also receives the same attention as the South. In fact it seems to be more! In its efforts to rise from the debris, left over by devastating terrorism, this is the Government's master plan to rebuild the Northern Province and restore normalcy in the communities.

De-mining

Though largely time consuming the de-mining program is in full swing in the Northern province. "Of the entire Province approximately 443 square kilometers of land is left for mine clearance," said Monty Ranathunga, Director of The National de-mining Centre under the Economic Development Ministry. Accordingly majority of the villages and towns are de-mined and certified as safety areas for human habitation.

"Though de-mining is a more time consuming job we have made remarkable progress compared to countries like Vietnam, Afghanistan etc.," said Ranathunga. According to him Sri Lanka is in the forefront of the few countries who have cleared at least half of its minefields. Sri Lanka will be able to become a mines free country before 2020 where as countries like Vietnam says they need 600 years to be cleared from mine fields.

The National De-mining Centre chief explained resettlement and agriculture lands are prioritized in the de-mining process. "The mechanism is on par with international standards is such that when the first prioritized areas get cleared, the second level becomes high priority area. This avoids unnecessary delays in the process," he explained. Following the initial identification of mine fields, a non-technical survey is done. De-mining includes battle area clearance and mines field clearance. In Battle area clearance de-miners check the land surface 10cm deep into the soil. This is in order to remove debris left over by a battle - i.e. Shrapnel from artillery attacks, used bullets and pieces, blown up pieces of mortar and many such pieces of ammunition is removed from the land. "Mine field clearance takes a longer time. One reason is at risk which is that these mines definitely will blow up if handled in a wrong method and secondly identifying where there being buried is a challenge even with the state-of-the -art technology," Ranathunga explained.

Accordingly, about 1,170 square kilometres of land in the North and the East have been cleared of mines. Nine organisations including the Army are in the process of clearing the remaining 443 square kilometres. In Mannar nearly 270 square kilometres of land area have been cleared of land mines and in the Vavuniya District it is around 167 square kilometres. In Killinochchi district an area of nearly 568 square kilometres have been cleared. Ranathunga also said that the railway track between Medawachchiya to Thalai Mannar and Omanthai to Kankesanthurai has been cleared of mines and the work on these tracks can be started soon.

Agriculture

With the commencement of development projects in Jaffna soon after the end of war the prevention of salt water intrusion into agricultural lands became the centre stage for livelihood assistance. The Jaffna mainland and the islands have 34 salt water exclusion bunds out of which 20 have already been reconstructed by the Economic Development Ministry. The Ariyalai Salt water extrusion bund at Navatkuli in Jaffna, is constructed at a cost of Rs. 120 million. This prevents salt water intrusion into the Jaffna lagoon through which water is provided to over 5,000 acres of cultivable land in Jaffna. Economic Development Minister Basil Rajapaksa during his recent five day tour in Jaffna opened the Ariyalai bund.

Minister Rajapaksa has advised the ministry officials to set a target for completion of remaining 14 bunds by end of December 2011. Completion of all these bunds will help cultivation of 20,000 acres of arable lands.

The Ministry also with the assistance of the Sri Lanka Army has cleared 5,560 ha of agriculture lands that were overgrown into forest patches.

A total of 188 kilometers of tank bunds in the province, "We have cleared a large area of agriculture lands in the Jaffna district and it definitely has helped to increase the harvest in the recent months," said Nihal Somaweera, Additional Secretary of the Economic Development Ministry. According to Somaweera a total 1,166 rural roads have been developed under the 'Maga Neguma' program of the Ministry while the A,B category roads are developed by the Road Development Authority. "In the new phase we have started repairing and rebuilding buildings of Government institutes and already 229 buildings are under re-construction.

This is happening in all five districts," Somaweera added.

To speed up the on-going development mechanism the Ministry is in the process of establishing the local authority network , especially in Killinochchi and Mullaitivu districts.

"Particularly in these two districts the government administration was annihilated due to LTTE terrorism and now we need to re-establish it," he added. Accordingly the local authorities who are currently have established themselves in these districts are rapidly streamlining the necessary documentation.

Until then the Ministry is directly involved into the development activities along with assistance from the Office of the Northern Province Governor.