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Soil and water conservation project completed

by Florence Wickramage

Soil and water conservation activities have been completed on 5200 ha. of land out of a targeted 10,000 hectares in the critical watershed areas falling under the Uma Oya sub-catchment in Uva Paranagama in the Welimada Divisional Secretariat Division in the Badulla district and Walapane in the Nuwara Eliya district.

This 23.7 million US dollar project, spanning over 8 years is being implemented in the critical watershed areas by the Upper Watershed Management Project of the Ministry of Environment and Natural Resources.

According to Project Director D.P. Munaweera around 10,000 ha.of land had been identified as critical erodability areas for conservation. One thousand hectares of land within the identified area is prone to landslides where the community has to be resettled. The project will address this issue as a priority and offer attractive social and livelihood packages with alternative economic avenues to lure the villagers to safer terrain. The balance 9000 hectares will come under incentive soil conservation measures Munaweera said.

In the Walawe areas, 1200 hectares out of a targeted 3000 hectares has been brought under buffer zone planting.

Community participation in soil and water conservation activities has achieved a 100 percent success where the project has introduced home-gardening, alternate crop planting, livestock development and bee-keeping which has ensured the community a stable livelihood.

The multi-million dollar project is supported by a 16 million US dollar grant by the ADB as a soft loan while the government commitment is to the tune of 6.1 million US dollars. The balance 1 million US dollars is from community beneficiaries.

The main objective of the project is to rehabilitate, protect and sustainably manage the critical watershed areas to uplift the living standards of the community living adjacent to these identified places. 

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