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Kilinochchi farmers weep over what they sowed as Iranamadu tank dries up
View(s):The Iranamadu tank in the Kilinochchi district, from which the Government proposed to supply water to Jaffna, has dried up considerably, with no water being available even for farmers in the area.As a result, officials have decided to limit water to farmers for their cultivations this year.
However, some farmers have planted paddy in extents for which officials say they cannot provide water and such extents are deemed illegal cultivation. Farmers have questioned as to how officials could supply Jaffna with water from the Iranamadu tank, when there is no water for the paddy fields in Kilinochchi.
Iranamadu tank built in 1902, is the biggest tank in the North. During British rule, irrigation engineer Henry Parker designed the Iranamadu tank irrigation scheme in 1866, and a colony, now called Kilinochchi, was established to provide labour to build the Iranamadu tank.
The first phase of the Iranamadu tank project was completed in 1902, at a cost of Rs. 194,000. The tank’s depth was 22 feet, with a capacity of 44,000 acres feet. The second phase was completed in 1954, when its depth was increased to 30 feet and its capacity increased to 80,000 acres feet. The third phase was completed in 1977. At present, the tank is 9 km long, 2 km wide and 34 feet deep. It helped to irrigate 20,882 acres of land in the Kilinochchi district, through 32.5 km of channels.
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