The construction work of the Yan Oya reservoir has been completed, but due to the delay in the finalisation of the resettlement of destitute families, the reservoir-filling process is being postponed for another year. The reservoir bears a water capacity of 149,000 acre-feet and the government invested Rs. 36 billion for the project.
It was learnt that so far, the Forest Conservation Department had not received permission from the Central Environmental Authority, to release alternative lands for resettlement and cultivation, in place of those that were acquired to accommodate the Yan Oya Reservoir Project.
This unwarranted delay was caused due to the non-availability of the Environmental Impact Assessment (EIA) Report which was due to be submitted by the Mahaweli Consultancy Bureau, according to Anuradhapura Government Agent R. M. Wanninayake. He had requested the Irrigation Department Secretary to pay attention to acquire the relevant report released, in order to avoid further unrest among the public. In terms of the project’s land officers’ reports, 114 and 108.4 hectares of land located in Urewa and Wahalkada, came under Anuradhapura district, respectively and 26.3 hectares in the Malporuwa and Kajuwaththa areas situated in the Trincomalee district, were suggested for resettling destitute families. In addition, 1,369 hecares of land in the Kumbukwewa, Bandagewewa, Issanwewa and Omarakada areas of the Anuradhapura district and 336.8 hectares in the Moragama and Indulhitiyawa areas belonging to Trincomalee district, were to be released as alternative muddy lands, thus making the total landscape yet to be released 1,369.9 hectares.
Anuradhapura Government Agent Wanninayake told the Daily News that families whose ancestral lands were acquired, were agitated sans livelihood-empowerment programmes as well as due to problems faced in housing construction, resulting from the denial of essential facilities for which they were entitled.
Project information sources revealed that compensations for 3,816 plots of land extending over a landscape of 4,169 hectares acquired for the reservoir too, had so far, not been provided.
The delays in the execution of the EIA Report is unjustifiable. It would be reasonable if a short period was required to complete the processing of the Environmental Impact Assessment Report in terms of the Act, but lagging behind by a few years, is unacceptable, Wanninayake said, adding that if the Yan Oya reservoir had been filled as envisaged and targetted earlier, farmers in the Horowpothana and Padaviya areas could have been provided with irrigation water for cultivating around 25,000 acres of land during the prevailing drought.
In the meantime, it was understood that newly-appointed Irrigation and Water Resources Management Minister Duminda Dissanayake had submitted a report to President Maithripala Sirisena with regard to the strategies to be adopted to accelerate the resettlement, compensation payments for land and the granting of livelihood support allowance to destitute families until the project reaches its conclusion.
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