Ten years after Seattle - Part II :

River for Jaffna project to boost cultivation

D.L.O. Mendis

Three River projects from different eras and different global locations: 1. A River for Jaffna in modern Sri Lanka; 2. The River Arno project in late medieval Italy; and 3. Parakrama Sagara including Koththabadhanijjara in early medieval Sri Lanka. The article deals with three river projects starting with the River for Jaffna, that was taken up for early implementation on the orders of President Mahinda Rajapaksa even before the conflict in the Vanni was concluded.

It will be compared with two other projects from medieval and ancient times: the medieval Arno river project in Northern Italy initiated by Leonardo da Vinci and Nicolo Machiaveli five Centuries ago, but never completed; and Parakrama Sagara including Koththabadhanijjara in Sri Lanka which the incomparable Parakrama Bahu I completed in the 12th Century, but has been overlooked in modern day engineering development planning which has resisted recognition of this exceptional example of advanced technology, literally buried in our history.

A River for Jaffna

In October 2007 at the Annual Sessions of the Institution of Engineers, Sri Lanka, a resolution was passed unanimously urging the Government to complete the River for Jaffna Project. A presentation was also made by Engineer Thiru Arumugam, in November 2007 at the Nobel Peace Prize winning Pugwash Conferences on Science and World Affairs, Workshop on Learning from Ancient Hydraulic Civilizations to combat Climate Change, on A River for Jaffna. A resolution was passed at this workshop, proposed by Ambassador Jayantha Dhanapala, President of Pugwash and seconded by Engineer D.L.O. Mendis as follows: This workshop resolves to recommend to the Government of Sri Lanka that the River for Jaffna project started some fifty years ago, and almost completed, but is now in a state of abandonment, should be restored, as an important step towards including Sri Lankans of Jaffna peninsula in the development and enjoyment of natural resources of the country, towards the early achievement of a durable peace.

President Mahinda Rajapaksa immediately ordered that the River for Jaffna project should be taken up for early implementation. At the present time the following work has already been completed by the State Engineering Corporation and the Government factory:

Step 1- Reconditioning Thondamanaru Barrage: replacing and repairing perished wooden gates and lifting devices etc. This will make Vadamarachchi lagoon a fresh water lagoon fed with rainwater from its 300 sq km catchment area.

Step 2 - Reconditioning Ariyalai Barrage: repairing and replacing perished planked bays and replacing with screw operated gates; repairing breaches in separation bund between Upparu lagoon and Ariyalai saltern; repairing separation bund between Vadamarachchi and Upparu lagoons as required. This will make Upparu lagoon a fresh water lagoon fed with rainwater from its 220 sq km catchment area.

The following work remains to be completed:

Step 3 - Completing Mulliyan Link Channel, to join Elephant Pass lagoon to Vadamarachchi lagoon; forming bund and roadway, and causeway, and providing control regulator and link channel between Vadamarachchi and Upparu lagoons. When this work is completed water in the Elephant Pass lagoon during the North East monsoon may be sufficiently low in saline content, for diversion to Vadamarachchi and Upparu lagoons as required.

Step 4 - Completing Spill cum Causeway at Chundikulam at the Eastern end of Elephant Pass lagoon and building zoned and flanked embankment with gravel road.

The spill cum causeway will be 2,100 metres long and the bund 1,400 metres long. When this work is completed Elephant Pass lagoon will become a fresh water lagoon as spill water from Iranamadu reservoir across the Kanagarayan aru, and other fresh water flows from small arus in the mainland flow into Elephant Pass lagoon. Finally, repairing and improving 8 km long access road from Paranthan-Mullaitivu Road to Chundikulam causeway.

Project benefits

About 13,000 hectares of land can be cultivated with paddy in the Jaffna peninsula.

The area presently cultivated is about 8,000 hectares due to soil salinity and other reasons. This cultivation is entirely rain fed unlike paddy cultivation on the mainland which is under irrigation. As it is rain fed, the yield per acre in Jaffna is very poor and is only about one-third of the average yield per acre on the mainland.

To be continued