The Hon. (Dr.) Susil Ranasinghe

¶ 01 Mr. Speaker, on behalf of the Minister, I reply:

¶ 02 (a) (i) 257 major tanks/reservoirs are under the Department of Irrigation; 22 are under the Mahaweli Authority. (Annex 01.) (ii) Department of Irrigation: For ancient (old) tanks, the technical “boundary” is the contour at the tank bund crest level, i.e., the tankbed; however, due to practical limitations in developed/flat areas, a minimum operational reservation of HFL + 0.5 m has been identified. For reservoirs constructed after the 1980s under the Department, the land acquired during planning has been determined as the reservation under the Irrigation Ordinance. For Mahaweli reservoirs, by Gazette of 1986.12.26, the reservation is 100 m horizontally from the high water level including all islands within the reservoir. (iii) As above, boundaries for Department-managed reservoirs have been determined; for Mahaweli reservoirs, reservation limits have been identified on maps, with Moragahakanda and Kaluganga completed with boundary markers by the Survey Department; in other reservoirs, boundary marking is ongoing in coordination with the Department of Wildlife Conservation where overlaps occur. (iv) Under Sections 115 and 118 of the Irrigation Ordinance (as amended by Acts No. 13 of 1994, No. 34 of 1990, and No. 23 of 1983), survey plans and engineering plans prepared by the Surveyor General and the Director General of Irrigation, along with boundary stones set on ground, are legally enforceable; therefore, separate gazetting of reservation boundaries under the Irrigation Ordinance has not been done. (v) All Mahaweli areas have been gazetted as Mahaweli Areas, and regulations for reservoir control within Mahaweli regions were promulgated by Gazette dated 1986.12.26. For Department reservoirs, survey/engineering plans exist but reservations have not been separately gazetted.

¶ 03 (b) (i) 712 families have been identified within the reservation boundary of Nuwara Weva based on “Bim Saviya” surveys to date. (Summary in Annex 02; the number may increase once remaining areas are surveyed.) (ii) Yes. (Name list of those identified to date in Annex 03.) (iii) Yes. (iv) Yes. (Annex 03.)

¶ 04 (c) Not applicable. Annexes 01, 02, and 03 tabled.