The Hon. Rauff Hakeem, Attorney-at-Law

¶ 01 Hon. Deputy Chairperson, today we are debating the Heads of a key Ministry held by our district leader, Hon. Lal Kantha—Agriculture, Livestock, Lands and Irrigation. However, most of us must speak on the disaster situation. Please excuse that focus.

¶ 02 We receive reports on rising rivers across many provinces. I have just been informed regarding the “Murapola Ela” irrigation channel above Ududeniya—running from Kanda Handiya through Dehalkanda—which is overflowing and dislodging rocks. Ududeniya village in Thalathuoya DS is at serious risk. Frequent blasting in a nearby quarry seems to have caused destabilization; the company (named in complaints) should be investigated. The Buildings Research Organization should urgently assess. Travel on the Delthota road from this village is now impeded.

¶ 03 Hon. Minister, many old villages have unresolved land issues. After the severe 1947 floods, the Kalugamuwa settlement near Gelioya was established in the 1950s—located at the corner of the Gampola electorate, adjacent to Udunuwara—with about 4,500 residents. Although permits were given then, proper freehold deeds have not been issued; only about 30 percent received deeds, with 70 percent still without. They cannot register businesses or transact; multiple families now live on single plots, creating disputes. Our colleague Hon. Anuradha Jayaratne also referred to this; during his father’s time some deeds were given, but many still await. Under “Swarnabhumi” and later “Ranabhumi” they issued some deeds, but a large number remain. Please organize a land kachcheri and resolve the outstanding deeds.

¶ 04 Relatedly, many lands under LRC (especially former rubber estates), Mahaweli along riverbanks, and others have issues—please intervene.

¶ 05 In Puttalam District, in Puludivayal (Mudaliyar Senai area) under Mundalama DS, there are long-cultivated agricultural lands held by about a hundred families. The LRC collected money and issued receipts promising deeds; now they say they cannot issue deeds and will lease long-term instead. These families have cultivated for over 40 years. Please resolve this through the DS and relevant agencies.

¶ 06 When I was a subject Minister, we installed pipes to bring water from Inginiyimitiya Wewa under the Puttalam-South Water Supply Project. Now villagers protest that the pipeline is being dismantled or diverted. Please look into this.

¶ 07 On irrigation: flood problems are now acute, severely affecting farmers. We lack a coherent plan to conserve river basins and flood plains. I propose creating a National River Basin Conservation Authority. Rivers are scattered under many institutions—Wildlife, Forest, Mahaweli—and nobody is accountable for integrated river-basin management. At least for ten main rivers with dense populations in their lower basins—Mahaweli, Malwathu Oya, Maha Oya, Deduru Oya, Kelani Ganga, Attanagalu Oya, Kala Oya, Gin Ganga, Nilwala Ganga, and Gal Oya—establish an authority and a long-term plan.

¶ 08 On the Mahaweli Authority’s future, there were reports of abolishing it; the Minister has said it will not be scrapped immediately but continued for some time, which I welcome, as abolition would raise many legal issues and pending cases. Although successive Governments have allegedly favored their supporters through it rather than benefiting small farmers, we still need a national plan for river basins—for potable water and irrigation.

¶ 09 In this Budget, Rs. 5,000 million is allocated for the Lower Malwathu Oya project; also mention is made of seeking foreign support for Kumbukkan Oya and another project, but without detail. Earlier, Kumbukkan Oya was promised to commence; now there is silence. Downstream of Kumbukkan Oya, the Heda Oya project is another pending one; feasibility shows it should be implemented.

¶ 10 For the Eastern Province, not only irrigation but potable water is critical. Yan Oya, Mundeni Aru and Heda Oya must all be implemented to supply water to areas like Kuchchaveli in Trincomalee District where tourism is expanding but potable water is lacking. Mundeni Aru plans envisage integrating Rugam and Kithul reservoirs into a major system, but funding is lacking. Every Budget mentions Mundeni Aru and Kumbukkan Oya; nothing happens. There is not even a mention of Heda Oya now. Please focus on these three.

¶ 11 Another vital project is the Gin–Nilwala Diversion. Each monsoon we speak of floods and agricultural losses in the basins of those rivers. To divert to productive use what now flows wastefully to the sea, we must implement the diversion. There was much talk of Rs. 4,000 million having been allocated earlier and misused; allegations of large-scale fraud were made, then forgotten. Regardless, we need a solution; by 2040, Hambantota District is projected to require 90,000 m³/day of water—current plans relying only on existing reservoirs are unrealistic. We must develop engineering solutions.

¶ 12 On urban flood control—SLLDC has the technical capacity. The President said Rs. 250 million is allocated for SLLDC to prepare feasibility studies for Colombo, Gampaha, Galle, Ampara, Mannar, Puttalam and other urban areas under the medium-term budget framework. Some studies are already done. Together with UDA, under Hon. Bimal Rathnayake’s purview, and under your leadership, please convene agency heads and move this forward. In Ampara and Batticaloa, vast areas are now submerged; we must identify causes and design proper drainage networks—many outfalls are silted.

¶ 13 I reiterate: establish a National River Basin Conservation Authority to protect our rivers and to harness them for potable and irrigation water needs under a proper plan. With that request, I conclude. Thank you.