Irrigation Act to be amended

Suraj A Bandara

Sri Lankan Irrigation Act is to be amended soon in order to make the irrigation sector more productive and beneficial to the public, Irrigation and Water Resources Minister Nimal Siripala de Silva said.

He revealed this at a special meeting held in the Ministry with irrigation experts to discuss the possibilities of amending the Irrigation Act immediately.

Sri Lankan Irrigation Act was passed in 1946 and only a few amendments have been made to it so far. The last amendment was made in 1994.

Though the Act called for immediate amendments in keeping with the present demands from the irrigational network, it has not materialized up to now, the Minister said. The Irrigation Ordinance to be amended and approved will be presented to Parliament after an in-depth study in which all relevant parties would take part.

The provisions of the present Irrigation Act provides no answers to demanding situations. The Act to be presented will cover all the shortcomings and address the issues where people are at risk, he added. The Minister appointed an expert committee to explore the possibilities of reforming the Act.

The Committee comprises representatives from the Attorney General's Department, Land Reclamation Board, Water Resources Board, Central Environmental Authority, Irrigation Director General and Provincial Councils.