Land settlement planning for improved irrigation management : a case study of the Kirindi Oya irrigation and settlement project

The site selected for research was the Kirindi Oya Irrigation and Settlement Project in southern Sri Lanka. The overall objectives of the research were to examine the relationship between land settlement and irrigation management and, more specifically, to identify some conditions that may foster improved irrigation management by settlers themselves. As a result, the focus was on land settlement activities, not on water management practices in a new scheme per se. The study was conducted during a period of transition in which construction work was nearing completion and greater demands were being placed on settlers to solve their own problems and manage their own affairs. The period was also marked by serious political disturbances, as well as an extended slack period in which project beneficiaries could not cultivate due to construction work. Major findings are summarized as follows: (1) part-time settlement by settlers was retarding the community development process and affecting cooperation among settlers; (2) although efforts were being made to develop farmer organizations, they were not yet adequately tailored to fit the needs of new settlement in a new irrigation scheme; (3) the irrigation turnout system was not yet functioning because the project was in an early stage, with defects in scheme layout leading to lack of correspondence between residential and irrigation units; (4) settlers were not involved in the construction phase and were critical of the agencies for poor quality of construction work done by contractors; and (5) communication between field-level staff and settlers was weak, especially when the transition from construction to operations took place. Includes recommendations. (Author abstract, modified)