The Small and Medium Scale Irrigation Infrastructure Rehabilitation Project (SMIRP) has been implemented in all 25 districts and priority has been given to the dry zone under the World Bank funded Integrated Watershed and Water Resources Management Project (IWWRMP).
The IWWRMP is a five-year project implemented under the Irrigation Department, Mahaweli Authority of Sri Lanka and Provincial Council Irrigation Departments in the Northern and Eastern provinces.
Under the SMIRP project activities, the following rehabilitation work will be executed – repairing of damaged sluice gates, tank bunds and canal systems.
Some of the prioritised work identified are the Pallegama tank rehabilitation in the Polonnaruwa district, Right Bank main canal rehabilitation in Galkadawala scheme in the Anuradhapura district, feeder canal No. 7 rehabilitation in Komarika Ela scheme in the Badulla district, construction of the C2/CT2 canal at Sevanagala in the Moneragala district, rehabilitation work on the irrigation canal of the Morudeniya tank in the Ampara district and installing new flood gates at the Ranwala Muththettupola flood protection structure in the Colombo district. US$ 10 million has been allocated for the purpose.
The sub-development program was approved after discussions with the World Bank mission which arrived in August this year. The World Bank funded Integrated Watershed and Water Resources Management Project consists of four main project components such as watershed and water resources planning, (US$ 8.547 million) Infrastructure Improvement (US$ 24.728 million), project Management (US$ 1.75 million) and medium and Micro Scale Irrigation rehabilitation activities ( US$ 10.00 million) including the contingency emergency response component.
The Integrated Watershed and Resources Management Project engaged in the rehabilitation of 18 dams and 13 canals in Anuradhapura, Kilinochchi, Mullaithivu, Vavuniya, Mannar, Kurunegala, Batticaloa, Trincomalee, Nuwara Eliya, Kandy, Matale, Ampara, Badulla, Hambantota and the Ratnapura districts.
