The Uda Walawe Scheme, The People Involved & the River Valleys Development Board 1965 to 1990
- 1. Introduction
- The Walawe Ganga
- The Walawe Ganga Basin
- Development of the Walawe Ganga Basin
- 2. Background
- Change of Government in 1947
- Development of the Walawe Ganga Basin in Recent Times
- Change of Government in 1952, 1953
- Reconnaissance Survey of Resources
- Change of Government in 1956
- 3. Chandrika Wewa Reservoir Project
- Contractors - CDE
- 4. Planning & Investigations (Uda Walawe & Samanalawewa )
- Reconnaissance Report& Feasibility Study - Samanalawewa
- Proposed Project
- Water Resources Development Map of Ceylon
- Change of Government in Sept. 59, Mar. 60, Jul. 60)
- Publication of Reconnaissance Survey Report
- 5. Uda Walawe Multipurpose Reservoir Project
- Report of Engineering Consultants, Inc., (ECI) , Colorado
- World Bank Study
- Irrigation Department Plan
- Implementing Agency
- Samanalawewa or Udawalawe First
- Failure of Advance Land Alienation Chandrika Wewa
- River Valleys Development Board
- Change of Government in 1965
- R. V. D. B. Top Management. 1965 - 1970
- Activities
- Evaluation of Gal Oya Project
- Uda Walawe Dam & Headworks
- Agricultural Development Plan
- River Closure
- Heavy Construction Division
- Winding up of Heavy Construction Division
- The Irrigation System
- Financial Assistance from Asian Development Bank
- Change of Government in 1970
- RVDB Top Management 1970 – 1976
- Setbacks to ADB Programme
- Area of Authority of the Board
- Agricultural Research Centre
- Report of the Gal Oya Evaluation Committee
- Implementation of the ADB Programme
- National Park
- Change of Government in 1977
- RVDB Top Management 1977 – 1982
- RVDB Senior Management 1965 – 1981
- 6. Maduru Oya Reservoir Project (Preliminary work)
- 7. Progress 1969 to 1979 under ADB Funding
- 8. Ulhitiya Oya Reservoir Project in System C Location, Reservoir, Spillway, Dam
- 9. Land Settlement in Uda Walawe
- 10. Agriculture Development in Uda Walawe
- Failure of Cotton Cultivation
- Success of Banana Cultivation
- Status of Agriculture Development 2022
- 11. Evaluation of the Uda Walawe Scheme
- Study By Dr. Francois Molle & Dr. Mary Renwick (2005)
- Observations made by D.D.G.P. Ladduwahetty in 1972.
- Report in the Economic Review March 1977
- 12. Grant of Freehold Title to Colonists
- 1987 Report of the Land Commission (1965)
- Views of Professor Rainer Schikele, Peradeniya University
- Recent Developments
- 13. Handing over of Uda Walawe Scheme to Mahaweli Authority of Sri Lanka
- 14. River Valleys Development Board as a Construction Agency 1982 – 1990
- 15. Winding Up of the RVDB – March 1990
- 16. Postscript
- Comments
Compiled by an ex-employee of the RVDB
 |
| Courtesy: Mahil Wijesinghe/Sunday Observer |
1. Introduction
The Walawe Ganga
The Walawe Ganga Basin
Development of the Walawe Ganga Basin
Development by the Kings
Arumugam (1969, p. 16-20) lists the works carried out by the Kings of Lanka, but there are no references to any such works in the Walawe Ganga Basin. However, their existence is clear from the references made by him to a number of works restored by the British & described below.
The following extract from Word 92 .pdf, a Working Paper by the International Water Management Institute clearly refers to the ancient works in the Walawe Basin.
“The Walawe basin falls within the area known in the past as Ruhunu Rata, the ancient kingdom in the Southeast part of Sri Lanka. Historical monuments, including tanks, dagobas, stone pillars, stone sluices, Brahmi inscriptions, rock cave hermitages and monasteries, scattered over the whole Walawe basin are indicative of the existence of an ancient civilization similar to the one in Raja Rata (the Anuradhapura and Polonnaruwa areas). Some of these monuments date back to ruler Mahanaga’s reign in the ancient Kingdom of Magama in the 3rd century BC. The names of monarchs, such as Kavantissa and Dutugemunu (2nd century BC), appear in the chronicles as those responsible for the construction of some of these irrigation and religious monuments. Some inscriptions attribute some of these works to King Walagamba or Watta Gamini Abhaya (1st century B.C.) who took refuge in the area. It is believed that both large-scale and small-scale irrigation in the area came up during the reigns of these kings, even though the involvement of kings in village irrigation work was minimal. The Uru Sita Wewa (Mahagama Wewa) with its Biso Kotuwa, believed to have been constructed during the reign of Magama ruler Mahanaga (brother of King Devanampiyatissa) and located in the lower Walawe basin, is considered as a prime example of the irrigation engineering skills of the ancient civilization in this part of the country.”
The ancient sluice gate & the seven headed cobra guard stone at Urusitawewa, now known as Mahagama Wewa in Suriya Wewa.
Courtesy: https://udithawijesena.blogspot.com/2014/05/biso-kotuwa-sri-lankan-engineering.html
Development during Portuguese & Dutch Periods
There is hardly any evidence of the Portuguese being interested in agricultural development other than trade in cinnamon etc. (Arumugam 1969)
The Dutch however encouraged agricultural development & provided land grants, insisted that lands be cultivated & seized uncultivated land & distributed them among others. They also built the canals, which exist even today, mainly for transportation, & this indirectly made available land for cultivation, by draining neighbouring areas. They also encouraged rice cultivation in Colombo, Galle, Matara & Hambantota areas. (Arumugam, 1969).
The Urubokke Dam (1787) constructed by the Dutch is described as the first new irrigation project in the island since the days of the Polonnaruwa kings (De Silva, 2005, p. 227). According to Ludovici (1867) it was built in 1763, but according to Arumugam (1969) it was built in 1787.
Development during British Period (Arumugam, 1969)
Year | Restoration | New Construction |
1825 |
|
|
1874 |
| Ellegala Anicut, H’tota Wellawaya |
1871 |
| Buttala Anicut, Buttala |
1879 | Tissa Wewa Tissamaharama |
|
1889 | Debera Wewa, Tissamaharama | Liyangahatota Anicut, Hambantota |
1890 | Hambegamuwa Tank, Tanamalwila |
|
1891 |
| Kitulabokke Anicut Off Embilipitiya |
|
| Hingura Ara Tank Embilipitiya |
1892 | Uggal Kalthota Scheme Kalthota | Ambagaha Ela Amuna Embilipitiya |
| Embilipitiya Tank Embilipitiya |
|
1897 |
| Wellawa Anicut, Godakawela |
1902 | Yoda Wewa Tissamaharama |
|
1908 |
| Diyawinne Maha Ela, Kalthota |
1923 |
| Ridiyagama Tank Ridiyagama - 1928 |
2. Background
Change of Government in 1947
Prime Minister Hon. D. S. Senanayake (Sept 47 to Mar 52)
Development of the Walawe Ganga Basin in Recent Times
1947-49
How it all began is recorded in an article in the Ceylon Economist by Engineer D. W. R. Kahawita as follows:
“Dr. Savage arrived in Ceylon on 3.3.47 and spent two weeks inspecting the sites and studying the investigation reports and plans prepared by the Designs Engineer of the Irrigation Department. At the conclusion of his studies he stated - ' The possibilities in Ceylon for dual purpose dams, in fact for multi' purpose dams and other hydro development projects are believed to be considerable and important. This conclusion is predicated on my study of assembled data and examination of the ground of the proposed sites of the Walawe and Gal Oya Reservoirs projects; also, on my observations of the various river systems, agricultural areas, tea estates, coastal plains and the lagoons while inspecting various parts of Ceylon. Although the project sites are not ideal, they are most suitable in all important respects for construction of the proposed projects.’”
Dr. J. L. Savage, an American Engineer, was a world renowned dam expert at the time.
The following extracts from a US Bureau of Reclamation Publication by Gahan & Rowley (2012) indicate that planning for both Gal Oya & Uda Walawe started at the same time. The engineer referred to was D. W. R. Kahawita who was Chairman of the River Valleys Development Board, which undertook the construction of the Uda Walawe Reservoir.
“One of the few qualified engineers, "a Ceylonese gentleman," had recently departed for Denver to participate in the design planning for the Gal Oya and Walawe multiple-purpose projects. Von der Lippe's reference to "multiple purpose" indicates his understanding of the various roles that water development would play for Ceylon in dam building, reservoir storage, hydroelectric power, flood control, and irrigation. When "the Ceylonese gentleman" returned from his work in Denver, he took charge of the Hydraulic Laboratory for Irrigation Development. His participation in the Denver design team's efforts and his previous training as an engineer made him a key figure and decision maker in the project.”………..
“Von der Lippe alluded to a new project under consideration. The Walawe Ganga was a proposed multiple purpose project located in the southern part of the island. Already the drawings were in preparation by International Engineering Company in Denver. But he expressed reservations because it appeared too costly for the amount of irrigable land that could be brought into production. Ceylon's government developed a Six Year Plan to bring 12,000 acres of paddy land a year into production. Looking ahead, these same planners hoped to increase that acreage by 25,000 acres annually from 1954 to 1959. Von der Lippe thought this was too optimistic and argued that planners should focus on developing hydroelectricity on the island. He maintained that, at best, the Ceylonese could hope to gain 12,000 acres overall in paddy lands a year.”
Paul von der Lippe was a Specialist in Canal, Dam, Power Plant structural design attached to the US Bureau of Reclamation & his assignment in Ceylon included: recommending solutions on economic, technical administrative & policy matters on a wide variety of projects including water resources development & related industrial & economic development ; giving expert engineering advise on rehabilitating ancient irrigation works; overlooking the construction of a 30 mile road to the dam site, advising on the Gal Oya dam & power plant, serving as Engineering Consultant to the Ceylon Development Planning Board & serving as liaison between MKI & Ministry of Irrigation.(Reclamation Era Volume 37, p. 208)
The Economic Review (March 1977) refers to the delay in undertaking the Walawe Project as follows:
“After the construction of the Gal Oya headworks and main canals, there had been some discussions about the prospect of using the same technology for construction of a similar large project in the Walawe basin for which the designs had been prepared by the same foreign consultants who had designed the Gal Oya headworks. However, although a surplus of heavy construction equipment was demonstrably available and manifestly evident in the Gal Oya valley, no attempt was made to use this plant and equipment in the Walawe in the mid 50s. Perhaps the image of the Gal Oya magic still haunted the imagination of decision-making politicians and bureaucrats who were consciously or unconsciously expecting the new project to be launched with new equipment. Whatever the reason, the Walawe project was postponed and actually launched only 10 years later, in the mid 60s when, ironically enough some of the old Gal Oya equipment was used again after reconditioning. “
Change of Government in 1952, 1953
Prime Minister Hon. Dudley Senanayake (Mar 52 to Oct. 53)
Prime Minister Hon. Sir John Kotelawala (Oct 53 to Apr. 56)
1954
Reconnaissance Survey of Resources
A Reconnaissance Survey of the Resources of the island was carried out by the Photographic Survey Corporation of Canada in conjunction with the Survey Department, as an aid project from Canada.
Change of Government in 1956
Prime Minister Hon. S. W. R. D. Bandaranaike (Apr. 56 to Sept. 59)
3. Chandrika Wewa Reservoir Project
1957 October 7
The Ferguson’s Directory records that the Walawe Scheme was inaugurated by the Prime Minister Hon. S. W. R. D. Bandaranaike. This apparently refers to the commencement of work on the reservoir later named Chandrika Wewa, across the Hulanda Oya, a tributary of the Walawe River, at Halmillaketiya, close to Embilipitiya.
Launching of the Chandrika Wewa reservoir and southern irrigation schemes in 1957: Land Deputy Minister D. A. Rajapaksa, Minister Wimala Wijewardena, Prime Minister S. W. R. D. Bandaranaike, Agriculture Minister Philip Gunawardena and Commerce Deputy Minister Lakshman Rajapakse atop a tractor at Chandrika Wewa site in Embilipitiya
http://archives.dailynews.lk/2010/03/25/fea04.asp
Contractors - CDE
This was one of the first projects handled by the “Ceylon Development Engineering Ltd. (CDE) which was formed in 1959 by the well-known sportsman and bold entrepreneur Pin Fernando, with the mercurial M.S.M. de Silva as the General Manager at the start.”
(NEWS_ADT-2008-31.pdf(nsf.ac.lk)
Sunday Island June 2008 on Dr. S. M. A. Perera by M. Goonaratna.)
CDE as contractor to the Irrigation Department was responsible for the construction of the headworks of the reservoir. M. S. M. de Silva was an UK qualified Chartered Civil & Structural Engineer, who held the position of Irrigation Engineer (Design & Construction) of the Gal Oya Development Board from 1953 – 58 & later served the River Valleys Development Board as its Technical Secretary in the late 1970s.
In 1958, 471 colonists were selected for Tract 6 of whom 452 came from Hambantota & 19 from Ratnapura at the first Land Kachcheri (Amunugama,1965).
See further details under 1964
4. Planning & Investigations (Uda Walawe & Samanalawewa )
1958
Reconnaissance Report& Feasibility Study - Samanalawewa
A reconnaissance report on the Samanalawewa project was prepared by Tudor Engineering Company. Financed by I.C.A.
1959
A more detailed feasibility study on the Samanalawewa project was carried out by Hydrotechnic Corporation and Engineering Consultants, Inc., Financed by I.C.A.
The feasibility report is limited to the development of a plan to utilize the waters of the upper Walawe Ganga on the premise that the water eventually would be used for irrigation purposes, but the irrigation features did not form a part of the study, and only rudimentary information was available on the lands to be irrigated.
Proposed Project
After evaluating a number of possible alternatives, the U.S. consultants propose the following scheme as the most suitable for the development of the upper Walawe Ganga.
* A 353 feet high earth fill dam would be constructed at Samanala immediately downstream of the confluence of Walawe Ganga and Belihul Oya. Total reservoir capacity is estimated at 340,000-acre feet of which 118,600-acre feet is useful storage.
* Water would be diverted through an 8,870 feet long tunnel with a minimum capacity of 566 cfs to a forebay reservoir on the Diyawini Oya with a capacity of 12,56 0 acre feet.
* The forebay dam would be a rock fill structure, 600 feet long and with a height of 128 feet above the stream bed, and with adjacent dikes.
* A 1,300 feet long canal would connect the forebay with the penstocks leading to the powerhouse. This would be equipped with four generating units with a total capacity of 120 MW.
* Included in the proposed project is also 88 miles of 132 KV transmission lines to Laksapana and Galle and associated substations.
* To serve a tentative area of 40,000 acres a re-regulating reservoir would be required on the Katupal Oya downstream of the power plant. The capacity of this reservoir has been estimated at 51,200-acre feet including 32,000-acre feet of useful storage. Total project costs excluding the re-regulating reservoir are estimated at Rs. 209 million ($43 million) of which Rs. 109 million ($22.5 million) in foreign exchange. This estimate includes design, engineering, overhead and some 15% contingencies, but not interest during construction.
* A tentative allocation of costs estimates Rs. 157 million for power and Rs. 52 million for irrigation.
* Hydrology Stream flow records were only available for a period of 14 months. Monthly discharge values for a 25-year period were therefore completed from available rainfall records.
* Average annual run-off at the Samanala dam site was estimated at 435,000-acre feet and at the forebay site at 454,000-acre feet.
Geology
The study included surface investigation of the project area and preliminary drillings at the dam sites and tunnel alignment. Conditions are in general favourable. Suitable deposits of materials for the dam construction were also located.
Power Generation
Average annual generation of firm power is estimated at 349 million KOH, corresponding to a capacity of 40 MW. A substantial part of the proposed installation would therefore serve for peaking.
Appendix 4
1959
Water Resources Development Map of Ceylon
The Water Resources Development Map of Ceylon was published by the Survey Department. It was prepared in the Irrigation Department under the direction of Engineer, D. W. R. Kahawita. It was widely accepted at the time by the engineering community.
However, Mendis (1991), a former President of the Institute of Engineers & an Engineer who was associated with the construction of the Uda Walawe Headworks in 1967/1968 points out that:
* this map has been used since then to identify suitable locations for construction, of large reservoirs, of which the Uda Walawe and-Lunugamvehera. reservoirs are notable examples. In his view both reservoirs were wrongly sited.
* The basis for location of many large reservoirs on this map was a single basin or within basin balance of water and land resources.
* The ancient irrigation systems that exist in the dry zone of the country have not been adequately taken into account as existing assets, when planning such projects
* Planners held the view that small village tanks should be replaced by large reservoirs
* This basis of restricting planning to individual river basins, without adequate consideration of trans-basin diversion is unscientific & irrational
* Trans-basin diversion projects designed and constructed in ancient times at least 1500 years ago, still function very satisfactorily.
* Large reservoir projects on the other hand are saddled with numerous socio economic & technical problems.
Mendis (2007) quotes the following paragraph from a Reconnaissance Report by Engineer D. W. R. Kahawita on the construction of a new large reservoir at Heda Oya to highlight the hydraulic engineering perspective that prevailed at the time:
"The development of Heda Oya is recommended as it compares very favourably, from technical and financial viewpoints, with other major schemes already undertaken by government. There does not exist any doubt as to the need to achieve self-sufficiency in food. This is an achievement that cannot be realized by spending large sums of money on tiny village tanks which do not have the staying power in a drought, nor can a better standard of living be taken to a people depending on them. Vagaries of the monsoons and resulting destitution can be fought only by spending public funds on large schemes and not by creating little evaporating pans and relief works. The age of the village pond has passed away and the time has come to embark on large projects like the scheme under review." (Kahawita, 1950):
Two eminent engineers of different generations seem to have held diametrically opposite views: one from the older generation, relying on advanced knowledge & modern technology, the other from the subsequent generation, relying to some extent on ancient wisdom & works. The latter view does not seem to have found favour yet with policy makers.
The Economic Review (March 1977) also raises some of the above issues in relation to water management problems that arose in the project. It also highlights the fact that in the ancient/traditional systems water flowed from one allotment to another, ensuring inter-dependence among allottees, whereas in modern systems each allottee is provided with an individual outlet.
The Tennessee Valley Scheme was the model on which reservoir development projects all over the world were carried out at the time & British /local engineers , who were involved in the early planning stages were well aware of the existence of ancient irrigation systems in Ceylon , & while they did restore many of them, which benefitted limited numbers of people, they apparently believed that large scale development, which Ceylonese leaders desired , could be achieved only through the Tennessee Valley model.
Such schemes had multiple objectives: provision of irrigation facilities, & hydropower, flood protection, rural development, road & communication development, settlement of landless people, expansion of the area under cultivation, import substitution, improving the quality of life etc.
It may also be mentioned that apart from Sri Lanka, ancient irrigation systems are found in many other regions, such as the Middle East, the Mediterranean, the Indo Pacific region etc. & the Tennessee Valley model was followed in many of the countries in these regions too.
However, the restoration of Tank Cascade Systems in Sri Lanka has engaged the attention of international organizations & details can be found here:
https://alliancebioversityciat.org/stories/old-system-water-management-sri-lanka-returns-life
An Ancient Water Management System in Sri Lanka Comes Back …Tank Cascade Systems.
Sri Lanka’s Ancient Treasure Trove: Rehabilitating Tank Cascades to Champion Climate Resilience
Change of Government in Sept. 59, Mar. 60, Jul. 60)
Publication of Reconnaissance Survey Report
"Report on a Reconnaissance Survey of the Resources of the Walawe Ganga basin, Ceylon" was published. This survey was carried out by the Photographic Survey Corporation of Canada under the Colombo Plan Assistance Program.
“The aim of the survey was to provide an inventory of geology, landforms, soils, land use, forest cover and hydrology and to make suggestions and recommendations about the future use of the land and water resources. The area covered in the survey amounts to 1,204 square miles and includes the Walawe Basin itself and two adjacent areas, the Kachigal Ara Basin and a part of the Malala Oya Basin. “
The report recommended that:
* Additional discharge gauging stations should be established and that the existing (two stations were established in 1957) should be equipped with automatic water-level recorders.
* Automatic recording rain gauges should also be installed at several stations to obtain more accurate data on duration and intensity of flood producing storms.
* The maximum power and irrigation benefits can only be obtained through a system of upstream reservoirs, diversion dams and supplementary structures.
* A four-stage program of development was proposed:
o Stage 1 included the construction of a 275-foot-high dam on the upstream Walawe Ganga creating a reservoir with 149,000-acre feet of live storage, a diversion tunnel and a power plant located on the north bank - 2 - of Katupal Oya at the foot of a steep escarpment. The plant would operate under a head of between 900 and 1,000 feet. Firm output is estimated at would 27.5 million KWH. Downstream from the power plant a 150-foot-high dam be constructed across Katupal Oya, creating a regulating reservoir with a capacity of 41,000-acre feet. These works correspond to the Samanala Wewa project described in Appendix 4. Stage 1 would also include a diversion dam on the Walawe Ganga below its confluence with Katupala Oya as well as necessary irrigation canals.
o Stage 2 includes a 191-foot-high dam on Weli Oya, creating a 112,000-acre feet storage reservoir, irrigation canals and an increase in the storage capacity of the existing Hambegamuwa tank. Only a small amount of power could be developed at the Weli Oya dam site.
o Stage 3 includes possible storage dams on the two right bank tributaries, Kuda Oya and Rakwana Ganga, with associated irrigation canals. The flows of these tributaries have not been computed, and no field investigations have been made of possible dam sites.
o Stage 4 includes a dam on the Walawe Ganga in the region of Embilipitiya to provide an adequate balancing reservoir for the irrigation of the coastal plain. This stage can only be developed after the plans for the upstream works have been established in more detail and it becomes possible to evaluate the quantity of water available in the lower region of the river.
“Following the publication of this report, a master plan for the development of the area was proposed & it envisaged the construction of present Uda Walawe Reservoir located about 7 miles above the Embilipitiya site, and the Samanala Wewa about 5 miles above Ukgal Kaltota on the main river. Several small reservoirs on tributaries, namely the Katupath Oya (fore-bay reservoir for the Samanala Wewa Power Project), the Mau-ara, the Weli Oya and the Hulanda Oya were proposed.”
Appendix 3
1960 September
Study carried out by Mr. Kothare of the Irrigation Department questioned the proposals made by the U. S. consultants and argued that the dead storage provided in the Samanala Wewa reservoir is excessive.
He proposed to lower the dam by 23 feet, construct the diversion tunnel as a pressure tunnel and lower the invert level by 115 feet and leave out the forebay reservoir. The length of the tunnel would be increased to 18,500 feet. He also reduced the capacity of the tunnel to 424 cfs and the firm power capacity to 26.3 MW.
No comparative cost estimates were given but it was claimed that this alternative scheme would be better adaptable to a tentative overall development of the Walawe Ganga Basin. The reasons for this are not given.
Appendix 3
5. Uda Walawe Multipurpose Reservoir Project
Dam, Reservoir/Spillway/Powerhouse
1960 November
Report of Engineering Consultants, Inc., (ECI) , Colorado
A preliminary report was prepared on this project by Colorado’s Engineering Consultants, Inc., (ECI) under a contract with the Ceylonese Government.
The terms of reference of the study were limited to investigating the feasibility of construction of a dam on the Walawe Ganga at Uda Walawe, some 32 miles from the mouth of the river. The water would be used for irrigation of some 50,000 acres and, if feasible, also for generation of power. The dam proposed would consist of a 7,700 feet long earth embankment and a concrete spillway and a powerhouse. The maximum height over the stream bed would be 66 feet. A single 2,500 KW generating unit would be installed, but the capacity would have to be firmed up by a 1,200 1W4 diesel plant unless a connection with the central grid is provided. The reservoir would have a useful capacity of 30,000-acre feet. The total cost is estimated at Rs. 36 million ($7.5 million). It is understood that the Irrigation Department has requested the consultants to revise the proposed project to provide for more storage capacity and to consider other possible dam sites.
Appendix 5
World Bank Study
Study of river basin development covering all aspects of such development, including power, irrigation and flood control was carried out by the World Bank.
“In particular, this mission was requested to review all studies so far made of the various river basins, to determine what further studies should be undertaken together with recommendations on how they should be initiated and estimate of time required for their completion, and to submit recommendations concerning priorities between projects for development of the various river basins.”
Their report appears here :
Appendices quoted earlier are taken from this study.
!962 – 1964
1963
Irrigation Department Plan
“The Irrigation Department unveiled a plan for the Uda Walawe reservoir based on design work by ECI . The plan focused on the engineering design details for the project headworks, with the goals of generating electricity and providing irrigation. The plan was to irrigate 15,378 ha (38,000 acres) in yala and 20,234 ha (50,000 acres) in maha along the right and left banks of the Uda Walawe river and provide supplemental irrigation water for approximately 6,070 ha (15,000 acres) in the Liyangastota anicut command area.
The plan of the Irrigation Department focused only on the design of the infrastructure. The plan included two main components: (i) a 4-kilometer long and 36-meter-high earth-filled storage dam and reservoir of 240 million cubic meter live storage, with electrical plants for a combined power generation of 5.4 megawatts; and (ii) two irrigation sluices with channels to supply the right and left banks.
The project implementation schedule envisioned invitation for tenders in 1963, construction beginning in 1965 and completion of the entire project, including irrigation channels for 20,234 ha (50,000 acres), by 1974.” (Molle & Renwick, 2005)
1963
The Irrigation Department which handled the planning stages of the Uda Walawe Scheme decided to hand over its implementation to the Gal Oya Development Board.
Implementing Agency
Gal Oya Development Board
The following Engineers were seconded from the Irrigation Dept. to the Gal Oya Development Board for preliminary work on the proposed Uda Walawe Project.: H. de S. Manamperi. D. D. G. P. Ladduwahetty, M. C. B. Mendis (1964 Fergusons Directory).
Activities in Uda Walawe
Preliminary work on jungle clearing, headworks, buildings, roads, workshops etc. commenced.
1964
Samanalawewa or Udawalawe First
Colorado's ECI was commissioned in 1964 to prepare feasibility studies for the Walawe basin, for the construction of two large reservoirs, the Samanala Wewa in the uppermost region, primarily for development of hydropower, and the Uda Walawe reservoir in the middle basin, primarily for irrigation.
The ECI study pointed out that the construction of both the reservoirs undertaken simultaneously or in quick succession would give the best returns on the investments. In the alternative the Samanala Wewa reservoir in the uppermost reaches should be constructed first, since the benefits from hydropower generation would be available early to justify these investments and generate a surplus which could be used for the subsequent construction of the Uda Walawe reservoir lower down. – (Economic Review March 1977)
However, the Uda Walawe reservoir was constructed first.
Preliminary work on the Uda Walawe reservoir was undertaken by the Gal Oya Development Board under the direction of Engineer, H. de S. Manamperi, Deputy Director of Irrigation, who had been seconded for service from the Dept of Irrigation, & who was designated Resident General Manager (Walawe). He was based at Embilipitiya.
1964
Tenders were called for the construction of the Uda Walawe dam & the tender was awarded to a joint venture of Skoda Export, Czechoslovakia & Ceylon Development Engineering Co. (CDE). It has been recorded that for the first time a local construction firm was able to enter into a partnership with an international company to win a contract for which bids were open to international firms, was largely due to the untiring efforts of M. S. M. de Silva, the then General Manager of CDE.
The ECI designs were not adopted for construction & headworks were constructed according to designs provided by the successful tenderers, Skoda Export of Czechoslovakia.
Failure of Advance Land Alienation Chandrika Wewa
1964 (Chandrika Wewa)
The construction of the Chandrika Wewa across the Hulanda Oya which commenced in 1957 was completed by the Irrigation Department to irrigate 5,000 acres of new land. Each family received a lot of 2.02 ha (5 acres; 3 acres of rice land and 2 acres of highland for homestead). The rights to some of the land blocked out for the Chandrika Wewa scheme were held by a few purana (indigenous) villagers (Amunugama 1965). Most villagers were absorbed into the scheme as settlers, but some village elders had over 6 ha (15 acres) of land each and refused to cede their land for redistribution. Their allotments were eventually excised from the blocking-out plan.
In addition, a group of people who had settled 10 years earlier in 3 villages had been left out of the initial selection of settlers for the Chandrika Wewa scheme and they refused to move. Disputes between “official” de jure settlers and de facto settlers, including encroachers, were frequent. (Molle & Renwick, 2005).
1965 (Chandrika Wewa)
Amunugama (1965), then AGA, Galle published a comprehensive report on various aspects of the Chandrika Wewa Reservoir Project, pointing out many of the shortcomings observed in the course of its implementation. An extract from his report on the “advance alienation of land” policy followed & the consequences thereof appear below:
“Since their native villages were nearest to Tract 6, most of these selectees had requested that they be settled there, and this request had been allowed. They have had occasion later however to bitterly regret this early request. Ecologically, Tract 6 lies at the extremity of the scheme and these colonists have had to wait well over 7 years till the channels were cut in the area. The present technique of colonist settlement is known as ‘advance alienation’. This means that the selectees are put in possession of their allotments a year or two ahead of the channel cutting operations undertaken by the Irrigation Department. Usually, colonists are offered employment as casual labourers in channel cutting. In addition to this they are paid subsistence for 6 months, and their Highland allotments are pointed to them, so that they can be cleared and developed before they turn their attention to their Paddy allotments, i.e. when the channel cutting is complete. This type of planning is especially necessary to prevent large scale encroachments by unauthorized, and frequently undeserving people on one hand, and to ensure a systematic exploitation of available resources – be it manpower or land – on the other. However, ‘advance alienation’ presupposes a certain synchronizing on the pace of irrigation work and the process of settlement.
In Chandrika Wewa, since the channel cutting operations and work on the tank construction was delayed for a long time this time sequence was missed and the consequent distress was aptly described as ‘advance alienation gone mad’. For 7 years the colonists in Tract 6 had to be supplied with even drinking water. Since the only source of water was the river several miles away colonists had to regulate their bathing & washing. A fleet of lories and bowsers had to be specially detailed to attend to their needs. Colonists from distant villages gave up the struggle and returned home and their allotments and houses grew back into the jungle. It also took a heavy toll on the morale of the men.
In spite of sixteen special subsistence payments, they were chronically indebted and envious and jealous of the other colonists who, coming much later than them, were the first to obtain water and start their sowing. In the word of one Tract 6 colonist, Koralepathirana,
this must be our karume (Fate). When the new colonists came, we received them with kevun and kiribath (sweetmeats and milk rice) and today we have to beg and borrow from them”. Understandably, Tract 6 colonists are the most embittered and vociferous group in the scheme, suspicious of the assurances of Government officials and contemptuous of the irrigation system which, they claim, will benefit them the least when compared to the other tracts in the scheme.”
According to Weerakkody (1970), a former Land Commissioner, the system of “advance land alienation” was followed from 1956 onwards in colonization schemes & was abandoned in 1969. Apparently, this system was followed consequent to a recommendation of the World Bank which emphasized the need to reduce the costs of settlement & to minimize encroachments.
Criticisms made by Amunugama (1965) may have reached the policy makers of the Uda Walawe Scheme. Even otherwise, they would not have been unaware of the problems in Tract 6, as it is only a few miles away from Embilipitiya. However, as will be seen, the same policy was implemented & the same problems spelt out by Amunugama (1965) were encountered in the Uda Walawe scheme. This is because of the fear that large scale encroachments would take place in developed areas if “alienation in advance” is not carried out.
1965
River Valleys Development Board
The Gal Oya Development Board was wound up when the Act which created it was superseded by the River Valleys Development Board Act No. 18 of August 26th, 1965. Preliminary work on the Walawe Project was already underway then.
The Act, provided for the establishment and regulation of a board for the development of the Gal Oya valley and other areas which may be brought under the control of the board, and to make provision for matters incidental to or connected therewith.
The functions of the new Board were as follows:
(a) to develop each undeveloped area; (b) to promote and operate schemes of—
(i) irrigation; (ii) water supply; (iii) drainage; (iv) generation, transmission and supply of electrical energy; and (v) flood control; (c) to promote and control irrigation and fisheries; (d) to promote afforestation ; (e) to control soil erosion; (f) to promote public health; (g) to prevent and control plant and animal diseases; and (h) generally to promote agricultural and industrial development and economic and cultural progress in each area of authority.
[S 8 am by s 5 and 6 of Act 6 of 1965.]
A large number of surplus personnel, plant, equipment etc. of the Gal Oya Development Board were absorbed by the newly created River Valleys Development Board. A new Base Workshop was set up at Timbolketiya.
Change of Government in 1965
R. V. D. B. Top Management. 1965 - 1970
1965 - 1969
D. W. R. Kahawita, B. A. (Mechanical Sciences Tripos) Cantab. A. M. I. C. E., former Deputy Director Irrigation, Chairman, (1965-1969) .
He was associated with the planning / designing of both the Gal Oya & Uda Walawe Schemes from the inception, & was the automatic choice of the Prime Minister, Hon. Dudley Senanayake, to chair the RVDB. He was not only a brilliant engineer & a quick thinker but had been a key player associated with the Gal Oya Development Project from the inception & had a good understanding of the issues that arise in implementing such a project & how best to resolve them. He also earned the respect of the several independent trade unions, which fortunately were not politicized at that stage. His commitment was such that at crucial times, he used to report for work at 7.00 or 7.30 a.m. & worked till late. During his frequent visits to the Project, he kept close track of the progress on the dam & headworks.
Board Members: C. R. Karunaratne, 1965-1967; V. G. W. Ratnayake, Planter, 1965-1969; W. Wijayasinghe, Planter, 1967-1969; C. Sivanathan C. C. S. 1965-1966 (Treasury); J. B. Kelegama, C.C.S,1967-1968 (Treasury); B. H. De Zoysa, C.C.S,1969 (Treasury).
Activities
Almost 50% of the work was carried out during this period. Balance downstream work & settlement remained to be done.
M. J. Perera C.C.S, Chairman 1969-1970;
Board Members: V. G. W. Ratnayake, Planter, 1967-1969; W. Wijayasinghe, Planter, 1967-1969; B. H. De Zoysa, C.C.S,1969 (Treasury).
1966
Evaluation of Gal Oya Project
(Appointment Of Committee to evaluate the Gal Oya Project)
1966
Uda Walawe Dam & Headworks
“Construction of the Uda Walawe dam & headworks commenced .The Uda Walawe dam & headworks were constructed according to designs prepared jointly by the Irrigation Department & Skoda Export, Czechoslovakia. Local expertise was used to a considerable extent in the construction of the Uda Walawe headworks & sub-contracts for construction were executed by Ceylon Development Engineering Company Ltd., under the direction of its General Manager, Engineer M. S. M. de Silva & the River Valleys Development Board under the direction of its General Manager Engineer C. C. T. Fernando. The RVDB used some of the equipment inherited from the construction of Gal Oya, after major overhauling.” (Economic Review, March 1977).
The supply of technological equipment and supervision of installations was carried out by Skoda Export of Czechoslovakia. Skoda Export also provided a Co-Project Manager to work with the Project Manager of the CDE. 3 Skoda Export Engineers also worked with CDE Engineers.
The period also saw the arrival of a great amount of new construction equipment.
1967
Construction of the Uda Walawe dam & headworks continued in 1967.
1967 May 23-31
International Conference on Water for Peace: Planning and Developing Water Programs was held in Washington D. C.
H. de S. Manamperi, the first General Manager of the Walawe Project under the Gal Oya Development Board represented Ceylon at the Conference & made a presentation on the Uda Walawe Reservoir Project. He outlined the following aspects of the project:
Background, Project Designs & Revisions, Overall Plan of Basin Development, The Uda Walawe Development Plan covering: Road System. Water for Domestic & Construction Purposes, Post & Telecommunication Facilities, Electricity Supply for Construction & Rural Electrification, Villages & Towns etc., Agricultural Development, Forestry Development, Industry Development, Health & Educational Facilities
His presentation can be accessed here :
1967
Agricultural Development Plan
Under the Colombo Plan Technical Cooperation Scheme, the government obtained the services of Hunting Technical Services to prepare a plan for the agricultural development of both Banks of the Uda Walawe Reservoir, excluding those areas already settled by colonists. By this time in the Right Bank about 810 ha of new land had been cleared in Tracts 2-7, some housing and infrastructure facilities had been provided, 38.4 km of the main channel was functioning & the settlement process had begun. (Nijman, 1991).
1967 June to September
River Closure
River closure - “At Uda Walawe the original design prepared by the American consultants envisaged a concrete structure across the river section. In the modified proposal taken up for construction, the river section was closed with an earthen embankment. Temporary river diversion was made through a massive river diversion sluice on the left bank of the river. Temporary river diversion was achieved when the river was at a comparatively low level at the beginning of the dry season, on June 11th, 1967.
Thereafter the riverbed section which became exposed was carefully cleaned, and the earth embankment in this section was then commenced. This river closure operation went on till the end of September when the embankment reached a safe level. This part of the work was a race against time because the work in the river section had to be completed before the advent of the rainy season in October. The river closure at Walawe has been rightly described as an epic in engineering construction in Lanka in recent times, for which all credit goes to the workers and engineers of the River Valleys Development Board.”
(Economic Review, March, 1977)
1968 February 4
The Walawe Ganga was impounded in the Uda Walawe reservoir on Independence Day 1968 The Minister of Lands, Irrigation & Power, Hon. C. P. de Silva closed the river sluice gate of the Walawe Reservoir. Also present were the Chairman RVDB, D.W.R. Kahawita, the General Manager RVDB, M.C.B. Mendis, N. T. K. Munasinghe, RE (Headworks) RVDB, M.S.M. de Silva, General Manager CDE, & other Ministry / Irrigation Dept./ RVDB officials etc.
At this stage it was expected that the provision of irrigation facilities to 60,000 acres of new lands would be completed in about five years. However, nine years after, only the right bank area amounting to 27,500 acres has been developed ( Economic Review, March 1977)
1968
Heavy Construction Division
After river closure was successfully completed, there was a surplus of heavy construction equipment of a particular type & employees in Walawe. The Board decided to set up a new Heavy Construction Division to undertake government construction contracts outside the Walawe project as well, subject to priority being given to work in the Walawe project.
“The Heavy Construction Division made an immediate impact on a problem which even at that time was reaching major proportions, namely the utilization of the large numbers of employees in the Board's service.”
Outside contracts were undertaken all over the island. These included construction of the Ella-Wellawaya road, the new Maskeliya roads to replace those submerged by the Mousakelle Reservoir; earthwork on the Railway extension at the Cement Factory, Puttalam; the restoration of the Nagadipa Mitiawewa and the Muruthavala Wewa. ( Economic Review March 1977).
1968 December
The Uda Walawe reservoir filled completely by the end of 1968.
The reservoir was completed in 1968, “in record time” according to Mendis (1967) at a cost of US$9.46 million (Rs 46 million). Contractors completed the canal and network systems in Tracts 2–7 along the RB (up to Chandrika Wewa reservoir). Construction on the LB focused on connecting the new system to the existing village tanks and the newly constructed Habaralu tank, and by 1968 the LB canal was 17 km long .
1968
Hunting Technical Services of Toronto, Canada completed their survey of the area & submitted a comprehensive report aimed at creating a modernized & efficient agricultural sector. Their plan took into consideration the survey carried out by Canada in the 1950s & other previous surveys. Their recommendations are included under Agriculture Development below.
1969
Winding up of Heavy Construction Division
In late 1968, a foreign expert attached to the Ministry of Planning and Economic Affairs advised that the Heavy Construction Division should be disbanded and all the men and machines sent back to Walawe. In spite of opposition from the Board, the Heavy Construction Division was therefore wound up in late 1969. (Economic Review March 1977).
This gave rise to a surplus of personnel at Walawe, who had no work to do. The concern of the foreign expert was apparently that the resources of the RVDB should be used within its area of authority.
The decision to roll back the HCD was followed by a number of unforeseen events which seriously affected the implementation of the project as previously planned.
It was generally believed at the time that Mr. Kahawita, the Chairman was disillusioned & no longer wished to continue.
The parting of the ways would have been painful for the Prime Minister, the Minister & the Chairman, as they had worked together earlier on other projects such as Minneriya & Gal Oya & were almost on friendly terms. They were all men of high principles.
In 1950, Minister de Silva had resigned from the post of Director, Land Development over a difference of opinion with his Minister, Hon. Dudley Senanayake. Now they were together again.
With his departure, the grip he had on the project was lost, & six (6) Chairmen who succeeded him in the course of the next seven (7 years), found that by the time they familiarized themselves with the intricacies of the project, they were called upon to accept responsibilities elsewhere.
More problems were to follow.
Strange though it may seem, a few years later, after the foreign expert had relinquished duties in 1975 the RVDB. decided to undertake government construction contracts outside the Walawe Project once again, although development work at Walawe was still far from complete. The new Outside Contracts Division undertook work on the Lower Uva Development Project including construction of Muthukandiya Reservoir; construction of Dambulu-Oya reservoir project; restoration of minor tanks and construction of roads in Medawachchiya area; construction of the Ambewela-Pattipola road; construction of buildings for the State Fertilizer Manufacturing Corporation at Sapugaskande and construction of access roads at Samanala Wewa. (Economic Review March 1977).
The Irrigation System
“As in all other major projects, the system consists of a large storage reservoir owned and maintained by the state through a bureaucratic infrastructure, together with a system of main and distributary channels for the control and distribution of this water for irrigation. The water is issued to each individually owned paddy lot through an individual pipe outlet. Water is issued in rotation to each paddy lot according to a distribution scheme decided upon by a group representing the cultivators and the bureaucracy, during each cultivation season. In practice, such a Water Management Programme for any given area has to be adjusted and modified to some extent, from time to time (to match the weather for example). A constant interaction between the peasant cultivators and the officials is necessary to achieve this, and success is never certain even when the physical features of the project are in perfect working order. Any physical shortcomings in the system naturally aggravate the problems.” (Economic Review, March 1977)
1969
A FAO/UNDP Mahaweli Team was consulted on the implementation of the Hunting Plan & based on additional research conducted by them & on their advice the government published a Plan of Development & estimated costs (GOC 1969) which reduced the command area & cropping patterns to accommodate higher water duties. Accordingly, the total irrigable area was reduced to 27,357 ha (67,600 acres) & this included 3,432 ha (8,480 acres) of developed land 2,133 ha (5,270 acres) from Chandrika Wewa. (Molle & Renwick, 2005).
1969
Financial Assistance from Asian Development Bank
The government of Sri Lanka requested financial assistance from the Asian Development Bank (ADB) to complete the balance work on the project. The request was approved on 23 October 1969. The ADB proposal was as follows:
The Walawe Development Scheme, to be administered by the River Valleys Development Board, is a plan to bring under irrigation a total area of 80,000 acres in the Walawe River Valley. The Scheme has been accorded high priority by the Government within the overall water resources development and resettlement program if the country. The Bank is to finance part of the cost of the Right Bank Area of the Scheme.
The Project involves improvement of the existing irrigation system and land utilization, construction of new irrigation facilities and settlements, development of the economic and social infrastructure, and the establishment of an Agricultural Experiment and Extension Centre. The primary objective of the Project is to irrigate a net area of 33,000 acres for double cropping of paddy, to provide farmhouses and the necessary basic community facilities for 3,440 new settlers and to improve the production and living conditions of 3,100 old settlers.
The total estimated cost of the Project is a little over $ 26 million. The Bank’s financial assistance will cover the foreign exchange component. The Special Funds Loan will be used for the procurement of construction equipment, machinery and spares, construction and workshop materials, agricultural inputs etc. The loan of $ 885,000 will finance the procurement of tractors and equipment for two model rice mills.
Technical Assistance
To ensure successful implementation of the comprehensive development programme under the Walawe Development Project, and to secure the fullest possible economic benefit therefrom, the Government id Ceylon requested the Bank io add a Technical Assistance Grant of $ 400,000 to the loan of $ 8.59 million. The technical assistance grant was approved together with the loans, on 23 October 1969.
Under the technical assistance grant the Bank will provide the River Valleys Development Board with a management advisor on organization, management and planning and coordination of the Board’s comprehensive and complex development operations, and three experts and certain equipment for the initial operation of the Agricultural Experiment and Extension Centre in the Project area. Two of the experts are to commence their two-year terms in February 1970, and the other two will commence work later in 1070.
The purpose of the Extension Centre is to ensure the training of extension staff and settlers and a continuous flow of technical knowledge and agricultural extension services to the farmers. The work of the three experts - in farm irrigation and water management, field crop agronomy and technology, and agricultural economics and farm management – will be vital to the successful development of intensive irrigated farming with diversified cropping patterns, hitherto not practiced in Ceylon. “
(ADB, 1969).
The area of the ADB project included the entire RB area (12,369 ha) articulated in the Government Plan. This area included the two areas that were already settled—Chandrika Wewa area (2,134 ha) and Tracts 1-7 (1,520 ha)—and Tracts 9-21 (8,715 ha) that were to be developed
There was an unforeseen delay in engaging the Consultants who were to provide Technical Assistance under the ADB funded program, and finally it was launched in late 1970. (Molle & Renwick, 2005).
Change of Government in 1970
RVDB Top Management 1970 – 1976
Engineer Aelian Jayasekera, Chairman 1970 – 1971 (pix n/a)
He was a former Director of Highways & started enthusiastically under the new government but before he could make any impact, he was soon moved out elsewhere. .
Project
1972
I.M. de Silva C.C.S, Chairman 1971-1972
Project
Resident General Manager : ?
B. C. Perera, C. C. S. , Chairman, 1973 - !975
It did not take long for him to find out what was ailing the RVDB & identify the priority areas which needed his attention. They were mainly in the Administration, Lands & Agriculture Branches, as the General Manager Mr. Ladduwahetty was keeping a close watch on the Civil & Mechanical Branches. He made regular visits to the project & his Inspection Notes & Follow up meetings ensured that progress was made in vital areas before he too was moved out of the RVDB.
Project
Resident General Manger D. D. G. P. Ladduwahetty 1972-1975.
https://www.dailymirror.lk/print/news-features/Douglas-Ladduwahetty-and-the-Walawe-Project/131-222134 by A. C. Visvalingam MA(Cantab), PhD(London), DIC, MICE, MIStructE, MIE(SL). Formerly Dep.Gen.Mgr (RVDB)
. (Dr.) A. C. Viswalingam Annual Award at the IESL is sponsored by him.
Engineer J. S. Jayasinghe, Chairman cum Resident General Manager, 1975 – 1976 (pix n/a)
For the first time, there was no Resident General Manager, & the Chairman also performed the latter’s duties. This was also the period during which the RVDB undertook once again government contracts outside the Walawe Project & including in the Mahaweli areas. He was extremely active during his short period of service.
Project
Resident General Manager, Chairman J. S. Jayasinghe
Engineer, Parker Perera, Addl. Secretary to the Ministry as Chairman, 1976 - !977 (pix n/a)
Project
Resident General Manager: ?
1970 – 1976
Setbacks to ADB Programme
The ADB funded program was due to commence in 1970 & due for completion in 1974. But completion took several more years. The period under review was not conducive to the smooth operations of the Scheme for several reasons:
* Shortly after the new government assumed duties, some of its enthusiastic supporters caused certain staff changes to be made & this seriously affected the morale of the organisation.
* In 1971 an insurgency that erupted in the country severely curtailed operations for several months & for a time, caused apprehension & fear in the minds of employees
* Also in 1971, the operations of the Gal Oya Scheme were wound up & over 5,000 employees comprising management, supervisory, skilled & unskilled grades were transferred to the Uda Walawe Scheme & this not only financially crippled the RVDB but also burdened the management with a number of additional problems.
* The insurgency & rehabilitation of insurgents, the proposed implementation of the Mahaweli Scheme over a period of 30 years, the proposed Land Reforms, the proposed Constitutional Reforms etc engaged the attention of the government & the Uda Walawe Scheme received less attention
* The high turnover rate of the Chairmen & Resident General Managers made matters worse. .
It was only during the period that Messrs. B.C. Perera CCS & Engineer D. D. G. P. Ladduwahetty functioned as Chairman & Resident General Manager respectively, that some progress was made. Also Messrs. T. Devendre CCS & D. Nilaweera CCS as Co-Resident General Managers took steps to tackle the land settlement & encroachment issues.
1970
Area of Authority of the Board
The Uda Walawe Scheme was declared an “Area of Authority of the Board " by the Minister by notification in the Government Gazette No. 14,887 / 9 of January 9 , 1970. The area included parts of the Sabaragamuwa, Southern & Uva Provinces. The administration of the Area required the appointment of a Government Official to administer the lands falling within the area of Authority, & Tissa Devendre C.C.S. was appointed Co-Resident General Manager cum Addl. Government Agent. Dixon Nilaweera C.C.S. took over the role thereafter. They were followed by retired Government Officials as Deputy General Managers.
1970
Agricultural Research Centre
The construction of the Agricultural Research Centre at Angunukolapelassa commenced under the direction of Dr. I. P. S. Dias, seconded from the Dept. of Agriculture & who was designated Deputy General Manager (Agricultural Research).
1970
Report of the Gal Oya Evaluation Committee
Report of the Gal Oya Project Evaluation Committee (Sessional Paper No. 1 - 1970): The Farmer Committees Report was published. While pointing out certain shortcomings in the implementation of the Gal Oya Project, it made the following recommendations to be followed in future development projects.
“Planning of Future Development Projects
At the time the above recommendations were made, the Uda Walawe project was already underway, & it cannot be stated that the RVDB followed any of the above well-meaning & ideal recommendations. In a wide-ranging project of this nature, there emerge unforeseen circumstances & various pressure groups at different times & it is practically impossible for the top management to ignore them & adhere to a rigid procedure. What the top management did was to manage the situations that arose in the best possible manner in consultation with all stakeholders.
1971
Implementation of the ADB Programme
Construction under the ADB programme began in 1971. According to the ADB Project Completion Report of 1979 there were “inherent deficiencies in the original engineering design”. One major design limitation was a single-bank canal system rather than the conventional double- bank canal system. Others included poorly designed control structures, lack of provision to recapture return flows, an inadequate number of cross regulators and measuring devices, and limited live storage of the Chandrika Wewa. These design flaws were constraints to the implementation of the planned program.
1972
The original plan was to provide frame-and- roof houses for all settlers, but only 933 of the proposed 5,380 units were constructed. In 1972 it was decided to provide settlers with a housing subsidy. Had the program been continued, housing units would have been built in clusters & the required infrastructure facilities would have been provided. This would also have encouraged social interaction among settlers.
A study made by an Israeli Organization consequent to a seminar organized by the O.E.C.D. Development Centre in Colombo in 1966 noted that: "farm planning, village planning and rural organisation systems in Ceylon are influenced by traditional farm structures and physical factors, and do not take sufficient account of the needs of social and organisational integration”.
1972
National Park
Uda Walawe National Park was created to provide a sanctuary for wild animals displaced by the construction of the Uda Walawe Reservoir & to protect the catchment of the reservoir. The reserve covers 30,821 hectares (119 sq m.) of land area. By a Gazette Notification issued on 30.06.1972, the catchment area of the Uda Walawe reservoir was declared a National Park. At the time this declaration was made, there were a large number of encroachers doing illicit chena cultivations. The RVDB Lands Branch Officers & the Wildlife Conservation Department Park Warden A. B. Fernando & his Officers served quit notices on the encroachers. It took several years to evict the encroachers & some of the deserving among them were given alternate land in Kiri Ibban Wewa area. (Punchihewa, 2007)
1972
The RVDB already had over 30 left -oriented Trade Unions. The Sri Lanka Freedom Party which was in power & the United National Party which was in the Opposition also launched two new Trade Unions.
1972.
Water use by settlers on previously developed lands in Tracts 2-7 and Chandrika Wewa was extremely high as they had unlimited supplies of water at the beginning, in the absence of any settlers downstream. Later it was found that settlers in the tracts further down were not receiving adequate supplies of water. An ADB review of the project determined that the planned irrigable area would have to be scaled back. This resulted in a decision to drop Tracts 20 and 21 (676 ha).
1974
The Agricultural Research Complex at Angunukolapelassa became fully operational. In the words of Dr. I. P.S. Dias, “an area of scrub jungle was transformed into one of the best planned & best equipped Agricultural Centres in the country comprising of a 1000-acre complex with Agricultural Research, Extension & Seed Production as its objectives.”
1975
An Aquaculture Development Centre was established with the assistance of People's Republic of China. It is the flagship freshwater breeding station in Sri Lanka. This centre covers an area of 49.6 ha.
1975
The RVDB again undertook government contracts outside its area of authority , including in the Mahaweli area.
Change of Government in 1977
RVDB Top Management 1977 – 1982
Engineer, K.H. S. Gunatilleke, Addl. Secretary to the Ministry as Chairman, 1977 – 1978 (pix n/a)
Project
Resident General Manager: M. M. A. Cader (pix n/a)
1979
Engineer, T. Palamakumbura, Chairman, 1979 – 1982 (pix n/a)
Project
Resident General Manager: M. M. A. Cader (pix n/a)
RVDB Senior Management 1965 – 1981
Head Office
Project
( Above list has been prepared from memory over 40 years later. Any omissions are regretted & could be included.)
Technical Staff
At the technical level, in addition to the staff transferred from the Gal Oya Scheme, the RVDB recruited a large number of new staff in many disciplines from among those trained at the Hardy Institute of Technology at Ampara & they turned out to be extremely useful for the Scheme.
1978
Gamini Punchihewa, an officer attached to the Lands Branch of the RVDB & an active member of the Wildlife & Nature Protection Society wrote an article titled 'The Rape Of Park' to the then 'Sun Newspaper' of 29.4.1978 drawing the attention of the Government to the damage caused by encroachers. On 24.5.1978 the same newspaper reported that the Director of the Wildlife Conservation Department, Lyn de Alwis was taking steps to evict the encroachers.
6. Maduru Oya Reservoir Project (Preliminary work)
1978
The Outside Contracts Division was further expanded to Mahaweli areas as the RVDB Construction Agency, under the Accelerated Mahaweli Development Programme. The first project assigned to the Agency was the Maduru Oya Reservoir Project. Temporary Office Buildings were constructed at Pimburettawa & a staff of over 75 members moved in, under the overall direction of Engineer M. S. M. de Silva, Technical Secretary RVDB, who functioned as the Project Manager. In fact, M S. M. De Silva used to live in a caravan in the jungle at this stage until it was announced that a Canadian Consortium, FAFJ, would take over the project. At this stage only the foundation of the Rockfill Dam had been completed.
Thereupon, the RVDB Unit at Pimburettewa was moved to the Ulhitiya Oya Reservoir Project.
It is necessary to record that MSMdeS had instructed bulldozer operators to be mindful of any ancient structures during jungle clearing, & what appeared to be such a structure was discovered in 1978, close to where the caravan was located. . MSMdeS had realised that it could be the ancient sluice & informed the Dept. of Archaeology. Their excavations unearthed the ancient Maduru Oya sluice. This writer saw the site prior to excavation on a visit to the location, shortly after the November 1978 cyclone.
For record purposes, a description of the discovery of this ancient structure, as appearing in a 1983 Mahaweli publication is reproduced below:
"Several centuries ago, an earthen dam has been constructed at the very site now chosen for the Maduru Oya new dam. The remains of the ancient embankment on the right bank of the river about 23 meters (75.4 ft.) high and pitched with round stones along the upstream slope to break the ripple action indicate the magnitude of the reservoir constructed by our forefathers. A matted forest canopy hid the massive breached earthen embankment as it sat, spot on, where foreign and local engineering expertise, led by the UNDP-FAO Master Plan study of 1964-1968, chose to throw a dam. That these experts had the advantage of intricate surveys, sophisticated instruments, rainfall and river data etc., to make their calculations is enough testimony to the engineering ingenuity of our ancestors, who chose the same spot to straddle the river.
It is interesting to note that C. W. Nicholas and S Paranavitane had stated in the "University History of Ceylon " of 1959 that a canal taking off from an earlier Mahaweli diversion at Kalinga-Nuwara, built to irrigate areas around Dimbulagala, and known as the Pabbatanta or Gomati canal, conveyed Mahaweli waters to this area. More interesting is the suggestion that this canal terminated in the Maduru Oya. Mahasena (271-301 AD). Dhatusena (455-473 AD) and Parakrama Bahu I (1153-1183 AD), are mentioned in this connection.
Regrettably, later historians, surveyors or engineers did not pursue this interesting suggestion, or we may have discovered, not stumbled on the ancient Maduru Oya earth dam, way earlier. Actually, construction workers came upon this structure recently when work commenced on the Maduru Oya project and reported its finding to the site-engineers. A lesser-known fact is however that a construction engineer assigned to the Pimburettewa Project, requested a revision of the irrigation estimate to enable him to fill a breach in a massive dam he had chanced upon in the jungle, to the south of the Pimburettewa work site. Clearly, this engineer had stumbled on the ancient Maduru Oya dam. Seeing that the elevant survey topo sheet did not show the existence of a breached dam within the co-ordinates indicated by him the Irrigation Department ignored his proposal. This was in the Sixties and that engineer is still in service.
The Maduru Oya project has attracted a great deal of interest since construction workers again chanced upon an interesting sluice structure in the old earthen dam. Measures have been taken to preserve this structure and the ancient earthen dam in situ as artefacts of Sri Lanka's hydraulic civilization. Academics of the University of Sri. Lanka, Peradeniya and Kelaniya are expected to date this structure shortly."
7. Progress 1969 to 1979 under ADB Funding
1979
Extracts from a report of the ADB
“ADB provided two loans & a Technical Assistance Grant that totalled $ 8.8 million.
The project improved and expanded paddy irrigation of about 30,000 acres of land, enabling double cropping and enhancing yields, accommodating 4,143 new settlers to conduct intensive farming, and improving agriculture productivity and the living conditions of 2,800 earlier settlers.
During the project period, average paddy yields increased from about 835 kilograms per acre to 1,416 kilograms per acre with total annual paddy production in the project area rising from 9,400 metric tons to 41,700 metric tons.
The settlers were trained in the correct use of fertilizers, pesticides, and weedicides, and were also provided with 165 units of two-wheel tractors. These initiatives resulted n farm production rising to a value of Sri Lankan Rupees 70 million annually.
Subsequently, the project established six new village centres , including two dispensaries and one post office building, Primary school buildings and other storage and marketing, and agriculture extension facilities were also constructed in three villages to encourage and improve agriculture in the region.
The construction of 65 kilometres of primary roads and 227 kilometres of secondary roads transformed the local infrastructure.
Implemented by the RVDB and completed in 1979, the project enriched the region’s agriculture, commerce, industry, transport, and other social sectors. “
“Project Outputs
The ADB Project Completion Report 1979, also highlighted the following negative aspects of the programme:
* The entire supply of the reservoir was devoted to only 39 percent of the planned project area, on average. “… irrigation water use in the project area far exceeds original expectations and threatens to curtail further development on both banks. Only about 70% of RB area envisioned for irrigation at the time of appraisal is actually served and this area is consuming 3 times the water proposed for the entire RB area. Only the lack of development on the LB has permitted this excessive use.”
* Structural deficiencies, poor water management and inequitable distribution of available water supplies continued to seriously threaten project objectives.
* Of the 6,680 hectares in Tracts 9-19, the irrigated area never exceeded 3,846 hectares in maha and 2,834 hectares in yala.
* 59 percent of the land in Tracts 9-19 were to produce Other Food Crops (cotton, chili and red onion in yala, and maize and groundnut in maha); the actual area was between 2 and 7 percent.
* Project completion date of October 1973 was extended until January 1977,
* The project cost at appraisal of US$26.45 million (US$8.99 million foreign funds and US$17.46 million local funds) escalated to US$33.63 million (US$8.82 million foreign funds and US$24.81 million local funds), resulting in a cost overrun of 27 percent. The government bore the full brunt of the overrun,
There was, however, a ray of sunshine. Increased rice production between 1968 & 1979 & higher than anticipated prices resulted in foreign exchange savings of US $35 million.
8. Ulhitiya Oya Reservoir Project in System C
Location, Reservoir, Spillway, Dam
1979
"The Ulhitiya reservoir was the first reservoir to come on stream under the Accelerated Mahaweli Programme. It Is located in a sparsely populated region in the Uva Province on the right bank of the Mahaweli designated as System C. With a storage capacity of 24,000 ac. ft. the Ulhitiya reservoir will regulate water releases diverted from the Mahaweli at the new Minipe diversion weir, along the Mahaweli right bank trans-basin canal, to which it is linked. Designed by the Mahaweli Development Board (MDB) this reservoir was undertaken by the RVDB in mid-1979 to harness the waters of Ulhitiya Oya for the creation of a reservoir. The RVDB undertook this job on a contract basis from the MDB. Sri Lankan Engineers and various other categories of employees were deployed by the RVDB during the years 1980 and 1981 and the RVDB successfully completed the construction of the Dam by October 1981. Approximately 1,250,000 cu. m. of rolled earth fill were used for the construction of the dam. The reservoir started filling up with the Maha rains in November-December 1981 and nearly 30,000,000 cu. m. (24,500 ac. ft.) of water were impounded. Work on the radial gated spill and sluice were also done during this period and the whole Project was completed in all respects in early 1982 at a cost of approx. Rs. 178,000,000." (1983 Mahaweli Publication)
Gamini Seneviratne, the then Additional Secretary at the Finance Ministry handling the Accelerated Mahaweli Project, in an article titled “Vignettes of the Public Service-The Reservoirs “, published on May 10, 2009, refers to the role of the RVDB as follows: “The big reservoirs were constructed by foreign firms, i.e., apart from Ulhitiya, constructed by the RVDB, incidentally providing M. S. M. de Silva, that vishvakarma among our civil engineers, an opportunity to demonstrate the efficiency of our public sector in this area vis a vis our private sector: the CDE fell way behind with Ratkinda thereby delaying by a year or more the transfer of water from the Mahaweli to the Maduru Oya basin. MSM got that done.”
M. S. M. De Silva, referred to above was Technical Secretary Civil of the RVDB, & a veteran of the Gal Oya Scheme. The mechanical operations were carried out under the direction of D. B. Leanage, Technical Secretary Mechanical, another veteran of the Gal Oya Scheme. Both of them were very much active in the field.
1980
The Uda Walawe National Park was ceremoniously opened to the public on 15.9.1980. (Punchihewa, 2007).
9. Land Settlement in Uda Walawe
1964 -1969 – Tracts 2-7
The process followed appears to have given rise to a chaotic situation, which seriously affected the smooth operations of the scheme , in several areas. Molle & Renwick (2005) point out that the RVDB followed the then existing policy of 'Advance Land Alienation', "shortly after construction began”. Accordingly the first area to which new settlers were brought was the Embilipitiya Block on the Right Bank comprising of Tracts 2-7.According to the RVDB Annual Report for the year 1964 /1965 the settlers were engaged in the construction of the Moraketiya channel which takes off at the 11th mile of the Right Bank.
The construction of the headworks was under way, but neither the allocation of individual allotments nor the design of the irrigation system had commenced.
Settlers were selected at Land Kachcheris based on the existing policy, but some were selected on political patronage. Each settler received 1.0 ha of irrigable land and 0.4 ha of highland for a homestead.
While the process was under way, a number of encroachers also invaded the area & surrounding areas.
The community now consisted of 23,000 purana villagers, 9900 legal settlers, 18 000 illegal encroachers and 1,100 RVDB employees. The presence of such a large number of encroachers created numerous problems throughout the settlement process of the Scheme, & even a separate section had to be set up to deal with the situation in a humane way.
The legal settlers were required to clear & prepare the land & assist in construction work for which they received an income. They cleared 800 ha of land from 1964-1967.
Once irrigation facilities were supplied, settlers sowed paddy & looked after the crop using traditional methods . The Agriculture Extension Services were not yet in place. As they had free -flowing water without restriction at this stage, they made maximum use of it, but this became a serious problem, for those who were settled lower down the RB channel, later.
Another version of what took place is reported by Nijman (1991) as follows: “ To demonstrate this Mendis quotes one of the several studies that have reported on this: “In fact the official land distribution never occurred. Once the land had been levelled and prepared , purana villagers i.e. villagers from original or ancestral villages as distinct from new villages or settlements , infuriated by the coming of outsiders, forcefully and disorderly occupied the land. Thus distribution occurred in an unorganized manner , with each family, whether purana or not, taking land where an opportunity was present and in as big a quantity as possible. Sometimes settlers were chosen from the land in which they first settled. The political context of the time did not allow radical measures to be taken to correct this situation and restart from scratch. Thus the status quo remained.” (De Vroey and Shammmugaratnam 1984.85) . Mendis referred to above is Engineer D. L. O. Mendis, who was one of the engineers engaged in the construction of the dam & headworks & therefore may have had first hand knowledge of what happened at the time.
1970 -1977 - Tracts 9-19
The proposed plan was :
Selection of settlers did not proceed according to plan due to political interference & the presence of encroachers in large numbers in the area hampered the settlement process. It was decided to reduce the size of the irrigable allotments from 4.5 acres to 3 acres & again to 2.5 acres & highland lots were reduced from 0.5 acres to 0.25 acres. This resulted in an increase in the number of new settlers from the proposed 3,300 to 4,143. These were in addition to 2,800 settled in Chandrikawewa & Tracts 2-7.
Delays in placing legal settlers on the land, lack of land surveys & markings for allotments, delays in issuing land permits to legal settlers, failure to take effective steps to discourage encroachers resulted in a number of unforeseen problems such as disputes regarding rights to land & water, damage to irrigation structures etc. (ADB 1979, Molle & Renwick, 2005).
The RVDB on its part made every effort to address the problem of encroachers, but it had to contend with the demands of local politicians on behalf of encroachers, who claimed to be supporters of the new government.
The status of the Uda Walawe Scheme as at 2022 is indicated in the Mahaweli Statistical Handbook for the years 2022, as follows:
10. Agriculture Development in Uda Walawe
At the beginning, as a result of advanced alienation of land, there was no need for a mechanism to train the settlers in the cultivation of the proposed crops, use of agricultural inputs etc & once their lots were demarcated, settlers opted to do rain-fed cultivations and when irrigation water became available they began to cultivate rice using traditional methods for several seasons.
The Hunting Technical Services Plan provided detailed plans for settler selection, water use, crops to be grown, application of agricultural inputs et. Their plan also envisaged an increase in the project area by over 10,117 ha (25,000 acres) to 32,172 ha (79,500 acres) .
Soils Surveys had indicated two primary soil types
The plan was based on the following assumptions
At this stage, the government took into consideration a recommendation of a FAO/UNDP Mahaweli Team & reduced the project area to 27,357 ha (67,600 acres) which included 3,432 ha (8,480 acres) of developed land & 2,133 ha (5,270 acres) in Chandrika Wewa. (Molle & Renwick, 2005).
The implementation of the Hunting Plan, as modified by the FAO/UNDP Mahaweli Team coincided with the ADB Funding Programme. “The ADB appraisal document largely reflected the 1969 Government Plan with one critical exception—it allowed for the production of rice on a portion of the area previously devoted to OFCs that contained RBE soils.” (Molle & Renwick, 2005).
None of the assumptions made by the Hunting Technical Services Plan would be realised. It took some time for the Agricultural Extension Services to be established , with the transfer of senior officers from the Gal Oya Scheme & recruitment of new staff. from 1970 onwards.
Training of settlers in the cultivation of Other Food Crops , use of agricultural inputs etc & the use of water was carried out by the Extension Officers, but as the tracts downstream were not yet ready for cultivation, free flowing water was available without restriction.
Molle & Renwick (2005) refer to some of the shortcomings of the agriculture development programme as follows:
The Hunting Technical Services Plan 1968 (Molle & Renwick, 2005)
Agricultural Development Plan Implemented under ADB Programme (Molle & Renwick, 2005)
Appendix E Revised Plan of Land Use under the ADB Downstream Development Project
| Rice | Sugar Cane | Cotton & other OFCs | Total | ||||
| ha | acres | ha | acres | ha | acres | ha | acres |
Right Bank | ||||||||
Land to be developed | ||||||||
Tract 1 |
|
| 202 | 500 |
|
| 202 | 500 |
Tracts 2-7 | 1,546 | 3,821 |
|
| 4,909 | 12,130 | 6,455 | 15,951 |
Tracts 9-21 | 3,480 | 8,600 |
|
|
|
| 3,480 | 8,600 |
Sub Total | 5,026 | 12,421 | 202 | 500 | 4,909 | 12,130 | 10,137 | 25,051 |
Existing Development | ||||||||
Chandrika Wewa area | 2,133 | 5,270 |
|
|
|
| 2,133 | 5,270 |
Embilipitiya & other village tanks | 1,151 | 2,844 |
|
|
|
| 1,151 | 2,844 |
Sub Total | 3,284 | 8,114 |
|
|
|
| 3,284 | 8,114 |
Total for RB | 8,310 | 20,535 | 202 | 500 | 4,909 | 12,130 | 13,421 | 33,165 |
Left Bank | ||||||||
Land to be developed | ||||||||
Northern Zone | 2,651 | 6,550 | 6,993 | 17,280 |
|
| 9,644 | 23,830 |
Southern Zone | 2,922 | 7,220 |
|
| 6,082 | 15,030 | 9,004 | 22,250 |
Sub Total | 5,573 | 13,770 | 6,993 | 17,280 | 6,082 | 15,030 | 18,648 | 46,080 |
Existing Development | ||||||||
Kiri Ibban/Other tanks | 761 | 1,881 |
|
|
|
| 761 | 1,881 |
Total for LB | 6,334 | 15,651 | 6,993 | 17,280 | 6,082 | 15,030 | 19,409 | 47,961 |
Total New Development | 10,599 | 26,191 | 7,195 | 17,780 | 10,991 | 27,160 | 28,786 | 71,131 |
Total Existing Development | 4,045 | 9,995 |
|
|
|
| 4,045 | 9,995 |
Total Project Area | 14,644 | 36,186 | 7,195 | 17,780 | 10,991 | 27,160 | 32,831 | 81,126 |
Source : ADB 1969.22
Progress made during the implementation of the ADB funded programme was as follows : (Molle & Renwick, 2005)
Table 4
Planned & Actual command areas of the phases of the Uda Walawe Irrigation Reservoir Project
Project | At Appraisal | At Completion | Deviation |
Entire Project | 32,793 | 17,615 | -15.178 (- 48%) |
ADB-RB Downstream | 12,369 | 10,978 | - 1.391 (- 11 %) |
Cropped Area on the Right Bank at the time of handing over to Mahaweli Economic Agency
Failure of Cotton Cultivation
J. Farrington, a Colombo Plan Adviser, attached to the Agrarian Research Training Institute carried out a comprehensive study of cotton growing in the Dry Zone & the possibility of extending the crop to the proposed Mahaweli areas & his report was published in February, 1979.
In the summary of his report, pertaining to the Uda Walawe Scheme, he observes as follows:
“The Uda Walawe cotton project was planned on the basis of a yield of 15 cwt/acre, but average yields since 1973 have never exceeded 7 cwt/acre. In 1977 only 820 of the planned 9,710 acres of cotton were cultivated. There has been a slight upward trend in a acreage cultivated since 1973, Yields per acre also rose in the first 3 years of cotton cultivation, possibly as a result of greater familiarity by farmers with the crop, and of improved extension services. Since then, however, they have fallen, possibly because of higher agro--chemical prices and of a shift in attention on to paddy with its increased guaranteed prices.”
The planned & actual cotton performance as found by Farrington (1979) is as follows:
Farrington (1979) quotes the reasons for the poor performance from RVDB reports as follows:
Farrington (1979) therefore concluded that farmers would prefer to grow paddy in preference to cotton because paddy gives a higher return for their labour, & it is a crop with which they are familiar. His view was that if cotton is to be grown successfully, water management issues should be fully resolved & cropping patterns should be strictly enforced. Cotton was mainly grown in Tracts 15 to 19, where water issues were acute.
Success of Banana Cultivation
In the early stages, banana was cultivated as a home garden crop, under rainfed conditions & settlers received a bountiful harvest, on virgin soil, but with the passage of time, the quality & quantity of the harvest declined. However, there was a clear indication that the soil was suitable for banana. In time , Agriculture Extension Officers, noted that the paddy crop suffered in certain areas due to sufficient water not reaching the allotments at crucial times, & that banana cultivation under irrigated conditions may prove to be the answer. Though reluctant, at first, a few settlers decided to try it out, & with the introduction of new varieties, the venture appeared to be a success. More farmers joined in, but it was under the MASL that the acreage under banana gradually increased as indicated in the extract reproduced below :
Extract from a report by Jayantha Jayawardena of the MASL on the cultivation of banana (1985-1989) under irrigated conditions :
“Banana. The cultivation of banana under irrigated conditions has become popular in some of the Mahaweli aieas, especially the Uda Walawe Project in south Sri Lanka. The reddish brown earths which are well-drained have promoted the change, together with the high profits that can be achieved by this crop.
Earlier, banana was planted with the onset of the maha monsoon rains and the plant went through some stress in the following dry yala period, to bear fruit during the next maha season. Small bunches were produced due to the stress experienced during the intervening yala season.
The Mahaweli Economic Agency introduced banana cultivation under irrigation with a view to increasing the incomes of the farmers and also to counter a water shortage in the tail-end sections of the Uda Walawe Project.The area under banana has increased from 205 ha in 1985 to 801 ha in 1989. High profitability, low labor input, a low water requirement and tolerance to drought make banana a popular crop. It also has the potential for intercropping with cowpea, chili, green gram, and onion in the initial stages and later with ginger, turmeric & yams.
Banana requires a considerable amount of moisture which has to be met by supplementary irrigation. Farmers in Uda Walawe use mainly furrow irrigation though some farmers have used flood irrigation which has caused water waste and lodging. Proper rotational water issues, 5-7 days initially and 7-10 day issues after 6 months are resorted to. Proper drainage is an important factor in the cultivation of banana under irrigation.”
Molle & Renwick (2005) refer to banana cultivation as follows:
Banana production was a great crop diversification success. Banana was cultivated in the lower part of the project area in the 1980s, but extension efforts mediated by influential pilot farmers and technicians from MASL led to a spectacular spread of its cultivation. The results were remarkable. By 1994, bananas grew on approximately 1,500 ha (14%) of the 10,500 ha under production in the RB area (ADB 1995) and reached 4,333 ha (out of 14,000 ha) in 2003. The adoption of this high-value crop significantly boosted farm income and the whole economy of the Embilipitiya town. While other diversification efforts resulted in short-term conversion to OFCs, very little land converted to bananas reverted to rice, although this has not been uncommon during the past two years
As at 2022, the acreage under banana had increased to 5071 ha.
Status of Agriculture Development 2022
1969 Modified Hunting Technical Services Plan | 2022 Actual Position Mahaweli Statistical Handbook | ||
Crop | Extent in ha | Maha 21/22 Extent in ha | Yala 22 Extent in ha |
Paddy | 10599 | 12,240 | 12,477 |
Cotton & OFCs | 10991 | 2,736* | 2,199* |
Fruits Banana | - | 5.071 | |
Fruits Others | - | 1,754 | |
Other Perennial Crops | - | 3,520 | |
Government owned National Sugar Company | |||
Sugar | 7,199 | 3,311 | |
* OFCs . Cotton is not mentioned.
11. Evaluation of the Uda Walawe Scheme
Study By Dr. Francois Molle & Dr. Mary Renwick (2005)
The above-named researchers of the IIWMI who carried out a comprehensive study of the Uda Walawe Scheme concluded as follows:
1. Design failure, shoddy construction and poor maintenance to constraints on agricultural diversification, administrative inertia and political upheavals affected the outcome.
2. There was wide disparity between the outcomes forecast in the feasibility reports and the reality on the ground, Discrepancies were observed between expected and observed results of the different phases.
3. The Scheme was justified on the ground that it would raise national production and rural income, diversify agriculture, alleviate poverty and increase employment. Benefit-cost ratios are often ignored.
4. Review of direct costs and benefits showed that crop benefits were minimal if not for the groundswell of banana cultivation, which occupied around 40 percent of the command area. Prices of agricultural products eventually dictated the profitability of the project.
5. Estimation of the value of other water-related benefits such as inland fisheries, the National Park, and home-garden produce was not undertaken.
6. Realistic planning and adaptive management is essential.
7. Planning & implementation was top-down. There are obvious drawbacks in this approach. Stakeholder participation is vital.
8. Accountability and sanction for failure was found to be low or non-existent.
Most of the conclusions of Molle & Renwick (2005) apply to the period 1965 to 1981 as well & cannot be disputed. It must however be stated that the RVDB Civil & Mechanical Engineering Department had very experienced engineers, enthusiastic & young technical officers, competent supervisors, & skilled workers, including conscientious veterans from Gal Oya & therefore it is difficult to accept that design failure & shoddy construction was commonplace in the RVDB from 1965-1981.
The following observations made by Molle & Renwick (2005) are noteworthy & reflect the reality that existed over the years:
“Notwithstanding these third-party impacts, which are at best mentioned in passing in the different project reports, UWIRP is characterized by a convergence of interests.
* Basically, all actors in the process have a strong interest in making it happen.
* Sanction in case of failure also appears to be very low.
* The evidence that, irrespective of its outcome, the project will increase the debt burden of the country is not a serious deterrent, as politicians struggle for re-election.
* Politics tends to be pervaded with a short-term “after me the deluge” attitude.
* Consultants give priority to respond to the donors’ objectives and are ready, for example, to incorporate cost-recovery mechanisms that suit a particular bank’s general policies, ad hoc cropping patterns or irrigation efficiencies that make the project more profitable, irrespective of whether they think these are realistic or not.
* If the assumptions made are not realized, failures are often blamed on the shortcomings in implementation, inadequate maintenance, poor performance of water-user groups and non- adherence to proposed cropping patterns.
* Responsibility for unrealistic targets set at appraisal is avoided by deeming them as “ambitious” rather than unfeasible.”
Observations made by D.D.G.P. Ladduwahetty in 1972.
The Gal-Oya and Uda-Walawe Experiences
* Returns from the Settlement Schemes in Gal-Oya and Walawe have fallen short of expectations. With a paddy yield less than the national average, and in debt to private money lenders and Government institutions, the average settler still finds himself only at subsistence level.
* A number of socio-economic and physical factors have contributed to this situation. On the one hand, an unfortunate selection of Colonist lacking the required skills; poor extension services; family problems; and a general lack of social cohesion; and on the other, unsatisfactory soils, poor irrigation and water management, inconvenience layout of lots, and a lack of basic amenities - medical assistance, schools, entertainment centres, and so on.
* Caste differences, differences in places of origin and the original status level of the Colonists, friction between the new-comers and long residents of the Purana villages, make for a lack of social cohesion.
* Political considerations and administrative convenience rather than the needs of the Scheme seems to have determined the selection of settlers.
* The size of a farmer's family keeps him busy to the neglect of his field and the practice of advanced alienation where the Colonists goes earlier to prepare the land leaving his family behind, leads to domestic complications.
* The quality of the agricultural extension service has not been uniform, and there have been yield fluctuations depending on the service.
* Unsuitable areas have been cultivated with paddy, and the question of soil use needs to be re-examined.
* A lack of proper maintenance and the open canal system contributes to irrigation difficulties.
* Each settlement should also be able to provide the services and social amenities the community needs. It would be good to bring in craftsmen like Carpenters, Masons, Tailors, and so on. They could also help in the field at times of peak demand for labour.
* Once Settlement Schemes get under way, a continuing^ technical, economic and sociological study covering the entire area needs to be done, as part of the executive function. It is only through a careful process of identifying problems and coming to terms with them, will Settlement Schemes like Gal-Oya and Walawe or any similar projects, produce benefits in relation to the massive investment. (ARTI, 1972)
Report in the Economic Review March 1977
* “The Walawe Project under the Uda Walawe reservoir was originally envisaged to benefit 60,000 acres of new land on both banks of the river.
* Initially, a-5-acre unit consisting of 2} acres of irrigated land, 2 acres of highland and 1/2 an acre for a homestead was given to each settler.
* This was subsequently reduced to a total of 2 acres per family, from which a net annual income of about Rs. 5,000 is said to be possible from two seasons cultivation
* Under the first phase of development 8,000 colonists have been settled and a total of 27,500 acres of new land brought under irrigated cultivation of paddy, cotton and Other Food Crops, in the right bank area.
* A Youth Settlement Scheme has also been established where 2,000 acres have been earmarked for subsidiary food crops.
* The first phase of the project already completed has cost nearly Rs. 600 million including the costs of headworks and both left bank and right bank main channels, and the whole right bank system
* The 2nd phase of the project envisages development during 1977-81 of 15,000 acres under sugar cane, 15,000 acres under cotton and 3,000 acres under paddy, all in the left bank area. It is proposed to settle 6,000 farmer families during the 5-year period. The total estimated cost of the programme will be about Rs. 120 million. .
* The Walawe Project has already run into considerable difficulties. The 27,500 acres developed in the right bank area as well as the 5,000 odd acres under Chandrika Wewa are yet faced with some irrigation difficulties which have to be solved.
* Extensive areas of the left bank with a large untapped potential have already been brazenly occupied by squatters. This includes land within the irrigable command of the left bank main channel that has already been constructed, as well as highland.
* Some land in the upper catchment area which has been declared a Strict Natural Reserve has also been occupied, the attraction in this case, apart from rain-fed agriculture, being illicit gemming.
* The normal administrative processes have so far failed to contain these activities. On the other hand, previous experience in the old colonization schemes suggests that squatters would ultimately be legally recognized by the authorities.
* An area where this view has encouraged much pioneering is the upper left bank of the Weli Oya where restoration of some ancient village tanks has been undertaken with much enthusiasm by 2nd and 3rd generation settlers spilling over from the Ukgal Kaltota Colonization Scheme.
* After the epic achievement of river closure virtually one year ahead of schedule in 1967 during construction of headworks, the rest of the development programme has moved comparatively slowly. “
12. Grant of Freehold Title to Colonists
This matter has engaged the attention of policy makers for over 50 years & the reasons why this was not granted is outlined below for purposes of record.
1987 Report of the Land Commission (1965)
This was one of the matters referred to in the 1987 Report (published in May 1990) of the Land Commission appointed in 1985 & chaired by Dr. C. M. Madduma Bandara. The relevant Term of Reference & the recommendation of the Commission are reproduced below:
TOR (3) (a)
the tenurial conditions on which lands are previously granted by the state with a view to making such conditions close to that of free hold while securing the objectives sought to be achieved by the enactments under which loans are granted.
Recommendation
16. Since the First Land Commission and the enactment of the Land Development Ordinance, the tenurial conditions of lands granted by the State have progressively been liberalized. We believe the social and economic changes that have taken place during the last half century, now justify complete free-hold status for residential lands given particularly under village expansion schemes. With regard to land in the major settlement schemes it may be desirable to retain some of the existing restrictions or an imposition of a ceiling on the acquisition and consolidation of holdings.
Views of Professor Rainer Schikele, Peradeniya University
In the late 1967-1970s, Dr.Rainer Schickele, Professor of Agricultural Economics, University of Peradeniya, in a document titled “Settlement Policy in Ceylon, Ceylon Papers on Agricultural Development & Economic Progress” stated as follows:.
“This article describes amendments to the 1935 Land Development Ordinance which were proposed in 1968, under which many of the restrictions on disposal of holdings would be removed. The author points out the dangers of the proposed amendments.
The Land Development Ordinance of 1935 includes certain restrictions on land disposal and fragmentation of holdings in the inheritance process. These restrictions are:
The reason for placing these restrictions on land disposal was the feeling that, if they were not there, outside investors might buy up the land and! lease it to tenants. Such tenure conditions would reduce production efficiency, make the many small farmers smaller and poorer and the few large farmers larger, and would also increase social and political tensions in the community.
The objective of the restrictions on fragmentation and designation of a successor is to protect the continuance of farm units of a viable size.
………………..
Schickele maintains that unrestricted ownership of land is not a necessary condition for offering production incentives or for conferring on the farmer the status and satisfaction of being independent, self-employed, and self-reliant. All these admirable qualities can be obtained even though certain restrictions are placed on land disposal.
There are grave drawbacks in a free market for farmland, particularly in traditional societies. The right of a small farmer freely to dispose of his land, to mortgage it and sell it, makes him vulnerable to pressures from investors and money lenders to mortgage his land for any loan he may need, and to be forced to sell it when he is unable to repay the loan on time
………………….
The author makes the following alternative proposals for tenurial amendments on lands held under the Land Development Ordinance:
a. Sale of farms should be allowed only when the purchaser is a farmer who wants to cultivate the farm and reside on it;
b. Institutional lenders (i.e. Banks) should be given a priority lien on the major crop instead of a mortgage on the land. If the colonists are allowed to mortgage their land, it might ultimately go to the hands of ‘outside investors|
c. The colonists should be allowed to lease out their land only under the following circumstances :
Recent Developments
More recently, the $480 million MCC Compact also had, as one of its objectives, the provision of secure land titles to small holder farmers & other Sri Lankan landholders. Read the Compact here :
https://www.mcc.gov/where-we-work/program/sri-lanka-compact/
In this connection, the Oakland Institute , on 17 August, 2020, issued an article titled " Land Privatization: Why Sri Lanka Must Reject the MCC Compact " & it is available here :
https://www.oaklandinstitute.org/blog/privatizing-state-land-sri-lanka.
In December 2020, the Board of Directors discontinued the $480 million Compact with the Government of Sri Lanka.
On 5 December 2022 there was a feature Article on I MF-led privatization, land and resource grab in Sri Lanka by Dr. Asoka Bandarage. Read it here:
https://island.lk/imf-led-privatisation-land-and-resource-grab-in-sri-lanka/.
Notwithstanding the above, the government introduced the "urumaya" programme , details of which are available here:
https://pmd.gov.lk/news/urumaya-program-to-solve-land-issues-for-two-million-people-to-begin-on-05th-february/
If, as Dr. Rainer Schikele predicted, land title holders in settlement schemes start selling their lands, the existing rice mafia may add land in such schemes to their portfolio or separately a foreign or local land mafia could emerge. If this happens in the years ahead, it will be unfortunate, as the original settlers could become mere labourers in their own allotments.
13. Handing over of Uda Walawe Scheme to Mahaweli Authority of Sri Lanka
1982
The activities hitherto performed by the RVDB were entrusted to the Mahaweli Authority of Sri Lanka (MASL). Molle & Renwick (2005) attribute this change to poor performance by the RVDB, as identified by the ADB, during the ADB funded project period from 1969-1979.
However, the RVDB continued to carry out contract work for the MASL in the Mahaweli areas.
An arm of the MASL , the Mahaweli Economic Agency, undertook completion of the balance work on the Uda Walawe Project from 1982 onwards.
The 2010 Annual Report of the MASL reports as follows:
Most of these shortcomings appear to be related to financial, manpower and operating constraints experienced by the RVDB. “
It has to be admitted that the RVDB was found wanting in the following areas :
Members of the Boards of Management, the Chairmen, the Resident General Managers & the Deputy General Managers of the various disciplines appointed to manage the RVDB were persons of the highest calibre who had proved themselves in their respective fields. Most of the Senior Executives & Executives in all disciplines had held the same positions in the Gal Oya Development Board & not only knew their jobs but also had a sense of belonging to the organization which motivated them to do their best. The Technical Staff were either veterans of the Gal Oya Scheme or those who had been trained by Professor Evan Hardy at the Hardy Institute of Technology in Ampara .The former category were conscientious workers while the latter category were keen to put their knowledge into practice. Many of the skilled workers were also from the Gal Oya Scheme. In addition, the RVDB had an efficient Internal Audit Branch & a Security Branch.
How did the shortcomings arise?
The blame cannot be laid on the RVDB alone. Among the several reasons were the following
14. River Valleys Development Board as a Construction Agency 1982 – 1990
After handing over the Uda Walawe Scheme to the MASL at the end of 1981, the RVDB continued to function as a Construction Agency in the Mahaweli areas & elsewhere.
"The RVDB also undertook in 1982 approximately 19 miles of 'A' class road construction work from the Mahaweli Authority of Sri Lanka on contract at a total value of Rs. 112,000,000. These roads have a platform width 40 ft. and carriage width 22 ft. and requires a fill volume of 629,000 cu. of earth and 70,000 cu. of metal for its construction. About 200 culverts and several retaining walls at critical locations are also required. The progress of work has been satisfactory, and it is hoped to complete this work by, the end of 1983. These roads when completed will replace the present roads which will go under water with the impounding of the Victoria reservoir". (Mahaweli Publication).
1986
Construction of the Lunugamvehera Dam & Reservoir under the Kirindi Oya Irrigation & Settlement Project as Contractor to Irrigation Department
15. Winding Up of the RVDB – March 1990
The formal winding up took place in March 1990 via a Gazette Notification.
16. Postscript
The above article refers mainly to the period during which the RVDB was associated with the Uda Walawe Scheme. The work on the Project was by no means complete at the time it was handed over to the MASL in 1981.
Under the MASL the following programmes were undertaken to complete the balance work:
Phase III: Loan provided by ADB - Right Bank Walawe Irrigation and Improvement Project—1984 to 1994 designed to rehabilitate & improve the irrigation system which had deteriorated badly. (Molle & Renwick ,2005, Pages 14-19)
Phase IV: Loan provided by the Japan International Cooperation Agency (JICA) - Left Bank Rehabilitation and Extension Project —1995 to 2005, upgrading & extending the L B command area to complete the project as originally planned. (Molle & Renwick, 2005, Pages 19- 20.
K. K. de Silva
List of References
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