Strict Orders from President and PM to complete Irranaimadu water supply scheme: Rauff Hakeem

Speaking at the opening ceremony of the Regional Office Building of the National Water Supplies and Drainage Board, in Jaffna, yesterday, Urban Development, Water Board and Drainag Minister Rauff Hakeem said that the President and Prime Minister had issued strict orders to complete the water supply scheme within 2 years. This scheme will be an alternative to the contamination of under ground water in Chunnakam. This 200 million-scheme is funded by the ADB. The farmers are worried about running short of water for irrigation. The capacity of the Tank is 80,000 acre ft. this will be increased by 40 acre ft. This controversy had to be solved by the Tamil Political Leaders, but we cannot delay the scheme for anything, he said.

Kilinochi farmers had opposed this idea strongly and said that the water in Iranaimadu is only sufficient for agricultural activities. Meantime, the secretary of Iranaimadu Farmers Association Mr.Muthu Sivamohan has expressed disappointment over supplying drinking water to Jaffna on behalf of farmers in the area.

We publish below an extract from a research paper of a Jaffna University student to show the emptiness of the statement of the Minister. This extract is substantiated by documentary evidence by the said undergraduate:

Water supply impossible:– The demand for water in Jaffna and kilinochchi districts increases with increase in population. The demand of water throughout 2015 including agricultural activities maintaining underground water level, illegal irrigation, in, and in effective water management of the farmers and water of the people of the kilinochchi and Jaffna district is 1,82,708 acre feet. But the maximum water holding capacity of iranaimadu Tank is 1,06,500 acre feet. Even if the holding capacity is increased to 1,20,000 acre feet as indicated in this project, the demand for water is more than the holding capacity of the Iranaimadu tank. Hence the Jaffna Killinochchi water supply scheme seems to be an impossible one. Water shortages are experienced in various areas of Kilinochchi District.  This shortage may increase in the future. In the context of people being resettled in their own lands and when in future, Kilinochchi town is expanded, demand for water may increase. Hence, while the demand for water is increased on one side, the ability to obtain water from the source is limited on the other side. Hence the Jaffna-Kilinochchi water supply scheme seems to be an impossible task.