Web of Life

Farmers in Tissamaharama and Lunugamwehera, who depend on water from the Kirindi Oya Development Project claim that they were not getting the required amount of water for cultivation.

The farmers plan to stage a protest rally at Lunugamwehera against the water distribution plan, which they said had not provided them with enough water for agriculture since 1992.

The dispute between the farmer groups on left and right banks of the project over the Kirindi Oya waters had left nearly 2,000 families on the Left Bank without water for cultivation.

The water levels in the Kirindhi Oya had reduced drastically since the early '90s due to drought in the Southern areas.

President of the Tissa Farmer Group Organisations, Ranjith Kumarasinghe said the present method of water distribution had left farmers on the Left Bank with inadequate water to cultivate two harvesting periods a year.

"Although we have repeatedly requested the District Agriculture Officer to amend the water plan to distribute water in an equitable manner the protests from the farmer groups on the Right Bank had prevented action being taken," he said.

Meanwhile in a letter to the Prime Minister, Ministers and officials the farmer groups had demanded the appointment of a technical committee to investigate amendments to the present water plan.

The farmers also called on the government to reconstruct the old tanks and irrigation systems in the area to store rainwater for the dry season.