Multiple benefits offered to villagers:

Deduru Oya Project takes shape

By Shirajiv SIRIMANE in Deduru oya

Co-Project Director, Sunil Perera	Deputy Director Planning, Malani Kulasinghe

It's not at all an exaggeration that it took more than 20 years to resettle some families and pave the way to get a multi-purpose development project, Deduru Oya off the ground.

The Deduru Oya development project brings multiple benefits, not only to the entire North Western province, but to other neighbouring areas as well.

The severe drought in 1960 prompted the villagers in the area to request for an irrigation project for the North Western Province (NCP).

At every general election an irrigation project for Wayamba (NCP) was promised. However, they had always been confined to promises.

Another promise was made in the 1980s with plans being drawn and even funds mobilised. However, the families who would have to be relocated protested and successive governments bowed down to this pressure, conveniently ignoring the benefits the project would bring the community.

One reason for the families to protest was that they owned fertile land (unlike in Norochcholai where the power plant was built) and did not want to lose them. Another reason was that the villagers feared that they would not be given similar land and that compensation would not be paid.

Compensation

Three years ago, the then Minister of Irrigation Chamal Rajapaksa took a bold decision to go ahead with this project. He managed to successfully convince the people and finally move them out. Resettlement was a major issue even three years ago as there were organised, politically-motivated protests.

However, today, more than 60 percent of the project has been completed with the families being provided alternative land and compensation being paid. Some families received over Rs. 3 million to relocate and were also given the option of taking all their belongings with them. Each family was provided with a half-an-acre block of land, a basic allowance of Rs. 8,000 and a monthly allowance of Rs. 6,000 up to six months.

They were even granted permission to cut trees and use the timber. Today, the very people who protested, are happy and content.

The families were paid Rs. 500,000 for each acre of coconut and Rs. 300,000 for an acre of paddy. Project Director of Resettlement, W. Tilakaratne Bandara said that 220 families have been resettled so far.

In addition, infrastructure facilities including electricity and roads have been provided for the benefit of these families.

100% local venture

Work on Deduru Oya dam construction in progress

Deduru Oya is designed as a multi-purpose development project. It would provide water for agriculture for over 28,000 acres of irrigation land in the Mee Oya and Deduru Oya basins.

It would provide safe drinking water for 50,000 families, automatically raising the health standards in the area. It would also add 1.5 megawatts of power to the national grid.

One of the salient features of this project is that it is 100 percent designed and constructed by local engineers attached to the Irrigation Department, once again proving the local engineers' capabilities.

The total investment for the project is Rs. 6.2 billion and the second most important point is that this is totally funded by the Government with local funds.

King Parakramabahu had once said that not a single drop of water should flow to the sea without being used.

However, it was sad to see over 1,000 million cubic metres of water, just flowing to the sea, via Sri Lanka's sixth largest river, Deduru Oya, without being put to any proper use.

This was also another reason for the launch of the Deduru Oya reservoir project.

The main dam of the Deduru Oya scheme is being built in Thun Modera, just below a point where three rivers meet, thus ensuring that there would be water at all times.

The dam would be built to store 75 million cubic metres of water and the water storage area is 5,000 acres.

The dam would be 18 metres in height, nine metres in breadth and 2,400 metres in length.

The core of the dam consists of concentrated clay and this was a technique used by ancient kings to make the dam last for centuries.

The use of clay reduces the impact of water on the dam.

On target

The dam of Deduru Oya is now 90 percent complete and both the Left and Right Bank canals (LB) (RB) too are nearing completion. Over 50 percent of the financing too has been completed, said the energetic Co-Project Director, Sunil Perera.

The LB sluice would be 15 feet in breadth and 44 kilo-metres in length.

Abandoned tanks

Due to the lack of water, farmers in the area were only able to grow paddy during one season. However, with the commissioning of the Deduru Oya LB canal, 6,000 acres of paddy land would be cultivated during both seasons.

Both canals would also feed the ancient tanks which only depended on rain water, thus ensuring that cultivation could be carried out in both seasons. "The Deduru Oya LB project would restore eight old tanks", Perera said.

The RB canal, while reactivating ancient tanks, would even provide irrigation water to the Iginimitiya reservoir, which had failed to provide irrigable water during both seasons and is somewhat a failed project.

"The Iginimitiya reservoir is located at an almost similar elevation as the Deduru Oya reservoir and it was a challenge to take water along the RB canal to the bank. We used special gradient techniques and the entire 33 kilometre LB canal was made with concrete", he said. He said that with the reactivation of the Iginimitiya reservoir, in addition to paddy over 1,000 acres of cash crops would also be grown.

"We will also give water at several points in both LB and RB channels upon requests made by farmers."

The Deduru Oya project would also help reactivate the natural under-ground water systems and most importantly, put a stop to flooding in the area. "Great pains have been taken to maintain the small water streams and we have sometimes used underwater pipes to feed them, to maintain and refresh the ground water table system", Perera said.

He said that this project ensures that the existing water supply in the Deduru Oya would not run dry and it has no environmental impact. "As the project fills ancient tanks, it would be highly beneficial."

He said the soil that was extracted while constructing the LB and RB canals were used to fill the ground and lower elevated land.

Another important aspect is the growing of tress and grass to stop erosion in the LB canal and the inundation area.

Purification plant

The National Water Supply and Drainage Board will start construction of a water treatment plant to provide drinking water to over 50,000 families next year. This project would be ready by 2013.

Perera said Director General of the Irrigation Department Dr. G.G.A. Godaliyadda is personally supervising this project and is a tower of strength to them. Deputy Director Planning, Malani Kulasinge said that this would help the families who had to walk several kilometres to fetch drinking water.

They would now have peace of mind and most importantly, time to forge ahead on self-employment projects, thus bringing them additional revenue.

The Ministry of Power and Energy will undertake the construction of the 1.5 megawatte power plant next year.

It's ironic to note that over 200 villagers work in this project, including some of the protesters.

One worker who was sceptical about this project said that they were misled, but are now opening their eyes and seeing the benefits that would come their way due to the project.