The large scale encroachments of tank reservation in the Anuradhapura district were taken in to discussion at the Anuradhapura District Agriculture Committee December monthly meeting. Anuradhapura District Irrigation Director Eng. Jayantha De Silva said that he had a lengthy discussion with the Irrigation Director General recently on the tank reservations encroachment issue.
It was decided to summon a meeting of all authorities, agencies and institutes dealing with the irrigation and land subject for a discussion to reach a final decision to enable to rescue the tank reservations from encroachers and other vandals strictly adhering to laws and regulations or under new regulations if necessary.
The District Agriculture Committee was chaired by Anuradhapura District Secretary Ranjith Wimalasooriya. Nuwarawewa Integrated Farmer Organisation President Ven. Rathgama Samitha Thera said that the encroachment of tank reservations was on rapid increase, and the menace badly affected agriculture development and also the safety of the tanks. The Thera said, “The state officials in the agriculture, agrarian and irrigation sectors should intervene in thwarting the growing encroachment issue by enforcing the law against the encroachers while prioritising the task of marking tank reservation boundaries.”
District Irrigation Director Eng. Jayantha De Silva said that a recently held survey has revealed that there were 156 Swarnaboomi Grants, 149 land permits and 416 cases of encroachments in the Anuradhapura Nuwarawewa major tank reservation area. He said that the irrigation head office has been provided with information on the reservation encroachment issue for necessary action. De Silva said that the tank bunds of the Nuwarawewa tank and the Tisawewa tank will not be opened for vehicular traffic despite public requests to do so.
“The two tank bunds had been renovated in 1890 and 1895. There are leakages and seepage in both tank bunds and as such, opening the dams for vehicular traffic is risky and dangerous. There is a tendency of large-scale water pollution in case of the tank bunds being opened for vehicular traffic as garbage would be dumped in to the tanks and the surrounding environment,” the District Irrigation Director said.
Eng. De Silva said that the Nuwarawewa bund spans 5.75 kms, while the Tisawewa bund is 2.65 kms long. He said that only tank breakwaters (Ralapanawa) were reinforced partly a decade ago under the World Bank funded dam safety program.
District Secretary Ranjith Wimalasooriya said that the matter was discussed at the last District Coordinating Committee meeting, and it was decided to call for a technical report on permitting vehicular traffic along the tank bunds. He said that there were complaints of issuing permanent deeds for lands in the major tank reservations, and he needs more information on such unjustifiable matters for further action.
