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Dept plans to set up five irrigation zones in island - GA Moneragala

by Moneragala special correspondent

'The Department of Irrigation has just concluded a plan to set up five Irrigation zones for agricultural development in the Island. Stating that he has just returned from attending this Irrigation Ministry Conference, he said that five districts of Anuradhapura, Polonnaruwa, Hambantota, Mahiyangane and Moneragala have been covered by this arrangement. This meeting has also identified effective strategies to increase productivity in agriculture by ensuring adequate irrigation facilities on an Islandwide basis'.

H. A. Ariyadasa, Government Agent Moneragala district said so addressing a gathering of delegates of leading NGOs, Government departments and representatives of the Hambantota district and resource persons actively engaged in promoting the CARE Dry Zone Agricultural Development Project now being extended to cover Moneragala district as well.

Referring to the Moneragala district he said that all the major water sources found in the Moneragala district were made to benefit surrounding districts and as a result, although the Moneragala district had 696 square miles of land only 23% is being used for agriculture because the water goes to help the Ampara and Hambantota districts to enhance paddy cultivation there. Although the Galoya Senanayake Samudra and Lunugamvehera and Udawalawe water sources all do not benefit the Moneragala district and despite the fact that the Muthukandiya, Buttala, Ethimale and Handapanagala tanks provided some water during the past several years the paddy fields have been abandoned due to severe drought conditions prevailing.

He said in this situation he welcomed the CARE International deciding to extend its development activities to the Moneragala district and assured CARE that he would give of his best to promote the Dry Zone Agricultural Project in the Moneragala district, where only a small number of irrigation tanks are being used out of a total of 1553 tanks existing in this land of a 100,000 paddy fields of yore.

Kris Hendrickz, Project Director CARE thanked the large gathering present on their invitation at this consultation and presentation of the CARE Dry Zone Agricultural Development endeavour being launched in the Moneragala district.

He said that he had studied the available resources of the Moneragala district as well as their urgent needs with a large reservoir of dedicated government servants struggling to contribute their best to the cause of agricultural development due to the lack of adequate funds and urged all present to team up through their dedicated involvement to speed up the development effort in this district with the support CARE can offer.

"Tell us what your needs are and we shall do our best to meet these needs. We believe in bottom upward requirements rather than top to bottom dictates, he concluded.

Dissanayake M. Ilangaratne explained the nature of the CARE strategies for promoting Dry Zone Agricultural Development Project while Team Leader Milton Batagoda welcomed the participants.

A representative of the Hathporuwa Agriculture Society in Hambantota gave a resume of their experience with CARE who had brought about a very welcome change in the attitudes of their members through a very forceful awareness building campaign that has inculcated in them the need to seek target oriented production of agricultural produce and that they were grateful for this change effected. Several others also gave accounts of their experience with CARE support in the DZADP.

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