The climate resilient integrated water management project Wew Gam Pubuduwa which directly benefits 770,500 people living around the Malwathu Oya, Yan Oya and Mi Oya river basins in dry zone has been successfully implemented.
The Green Climate Fund (GCF) and government funded project covers seven districts – Anuradhapura, Polonnaruwa, Kurunegala, Puttalam, Vavuniya, Mannar and Trincomalee.
The GCF has granted Rs. 6,664 million for the project while the government funds the project through the Mahaweli Ministry, while the UNDP provides technical assistance.
Explaining the progress achieved since 2017, project director, civil engineer Janaka Rathnayaka told the Daily News that in 2020, 22 dilapidated rural tanks and eight anicuts under the Aluthhallewa cascade and 14 tanks under the Rathmale cascade will be renovated.
“In 2018, 24 tanks under four cascades and 14 tanks located under Mathawikulam cascade in Vavuniya were renovated in the Anuradhapura district. Now 3,650 paddy lands can be cultivated under these tanks and 2,421 low-income group farmer families benefitted.
Last year, under four cascades in Anuradhapura, Vavuniya, Kurunegala and Puttalam, 80 rural tanks have been rehabilitated under which 2,844 acres of paddy fields are being cultivated, benefitting 4,756 poor farmer families, Rathnayaka said.
Under the Wew Gam Pubuduwa project, Rs. 3,113 ms has been invested for upgrading village irrigation systems in three river basins. Rs.1,465 million has been spent for enhancing decentralized water supply to provide safe drinking water.
Referring to the other aspects of the project, the project director said that it is planned to commence 5,200 climate-resilient home gardens and 2,000 commercial home gardens. Under the commercial home gardening, planting materials for growing pineapple, banana, orange, lime, guava, and pomegranate have been distributed. Under this venture, so far 467,000 pineapple saplings, 500 banana plants, 500 mango plants, 4125 welianodha plants, 2,400 guava plants and 4,000 drumstick plants have been distributed free in five project implementation districts.
In the meantime, suitable places have been demarcated for fixing 44 high technology rain water filtering machines, including 12 rural hospitals and 32 rural schools, while the construction of six rural water projects has commenced for providing drinking water to 2,878 families. Also, 4,000 rain harvesting tanks are to be provided under the project and so far 1,927 tanks have been provided, while another 1,395 tanks are scheduled to be distributed this year, according to Rathnayaka.
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