Rs. 200 million irrigation project in progress

Anura Maitipe

The rehabilitation of the Alai Scheme launched under the re-awakening project with Rs 200 million financial assistance of World Bank is in progress and the dredging of Raja- ela will be completed soon, Project Director P.H. Sugathadasa told the Daily News.

With the commencement of the Allai scheme in the late 1950s, over 1,000 acres had been abandoned as these lands were inundated with drain water.

Affected farmers were provided alternative lands. The Raja-Ela drainage scheme implemented at a cost of Rs 13 million is a great achievement of investment as it is the lowest amount spent on an irrigation project in the country, he said.

Over 1,700 machine hours of dredging have already been completed by the Land Reclamation Board and another 300 machine hours have been approved to complete dredging, he said.

With the completion of scheme over 1,000 acres will be reclaimed for cultivation.

The Allai irrigation tank, about 35 kilometers south of Trincomalee provides irrigates over 7,000 hectares in Mutur, Seruvila and the Echchilampattu Divisional Secretariat, he added.

Under this project 26.73 kilometers of main canals and 66 kilometers of distribution canals will be rehabilitated.

The 3.3 kilometer long bund and 300 meters long spill causeway will also be upgraded.

The Mavilaru anicut and causeway destroyed following the conflict in the East will also be rehabilitated under this project.

Construction work on the anicut has also commenced. It will be completed before the end of this year, he said.

With the completion of this project, farmers will recover over 1,200 acres of neglected lands. With clearing of the main canal, some of these lands have already been cultivated.

More lands in the area will be irrigated and over 10,000 families re-settled in these areas will benefit, the project director added.