PEACE project empowers livelihoods of 25,000

Nimal Wijesinghe Anuradhapura Additional District Group Correspondent

The JICA-Sri Lanka funded Pro-poor Economic Advancement and Community Enhancement project (The PEACE project) has been able to empower the livelihoods of around 25,000 farmer families in Anuradhapura, Kurunegala and Matale districts.

The project which involved the rehabilitation of 100 major, medium and small-scale tanks was inaugurated in 2007. Consisted of four major components such as social mobilization, irrigation rehabilitation, water management and agriculture plus income generation.

The total cost has been around Rs 6,000 million.

The major reservoirs restored and rehabilitated under the PEACE alias Wari Pubuduwa project are Nachchaduwa, Nuwarawewa, Tisawewa, Abayawewa, Rajangane, Magalla, Abakolawewa, Palukadawala and Ataragalla.

The medium-scale tanks namely Hulugalla, Mahananneriya, Meddaketiya, Mahagalgamuwa, Periyakulama, Uttimaduwa, Moragoda, Mahabulankulama and Maminiyawa also came under the rehabilitation schedule.