Mahaweli basin development phase II

The Mahaweli Development Board (MDB), the Mahaweli Authority of Sri Lanka (MASL), and the Ministry for Mahaweli Development will implement the project. The 75,000 ha area will be subdivided into five zones conforming to the area"s drainage basins; development activities will be synchronized to avoid duplications found in past AMP development efforts. To increase farm production, an irrigation system consisting of 57 km of main canals, 98 km of branch canals, and tertiary canals, will be built. Related activities include constructing main, secondary, and farm roads; land clearing and leveling; bund marking; farm demarcation; and initial plowing. The area"s current population of 20,000 will be increased through settlement of 110,000 volunteers on 20,300 1-ha paddy farms. Also, settlers will be provided with 0.3-ha homesteads, housing materials, and farm tools; a credit-production-marketing system will also be established by the proposed Mahaweli Economic Agency (MEA). Settlers will contribute labor intensive-work to the project. The MASL will provide basic social infrastructure for the area. Hamlets will be built for every 200 families and will be given a primary school, a health volunteer, a post-box, an MEA service unit, and provisions for traders. Block centers will be built for every 2,000 families and will be given a junior secondary school, a visiting dispensary, a sub-post office, a public health midwife, stores for agricultural inputs and produce, a large space for private sector activities, and a well-staffed administrative center. Townships will be created for every 10,000 families and will include a senior secondary school, a 36-bed hospital, a post-office, telecommunication services, a police station, a market, provisions for a wide range of private sector activities, and offices for the Project Manager. Public transportation will be provided throughout the area. A.I.D. will finance main and branch canal construction and miscellaneous equipment. Other donors include Canada, the Asian Development Bank, the FAO, and the World Food Program. Amendment of 10/20/83 increases A.I.D."s contribution by $25 million to: (1) finance higher costs for constructing, maintaining, and operating the main and branch irrigation canals; and (2) provide a new TA package which includes training and evaluation. (PD-AAS-406)