Financial Times

World Bank agrees to fund 2nd phase NorthEast project
By Sinniah Gurunathan, Trincomalee correspondent
The World Bank has agreed in principle to extend its funding for a five-year repeater project, the North East Irrigated Agricultural Project (NEIAP)-2, to accommodate 500 focal villages and two major irrigation schemes in the northeast province and its border villages. NEIAP-2 is expected to be implemented from 2005, provincial sources said.

The North East Provincial Council (NEPC) made a request to the External Resources Department through the Ministry of Home Affairs, Provincial Council and Local Government to undertake NEIAP-2 as there was demand from the districts and the farming community to accommodate more focal villages under the project. The ministry concerned had communicated the request of the NEPC to the Colombo office of the World Bank

The World Bank has now informed the NEPC that it has agreed in principle to fund the implementation of the NEIAP-2 project and last week the NEPC conducted a two-day workshop to prepare implementation arrangements, project design, project objectives and project components of NEIAP-2. The workshop was held at Anuradhapura's Nuwarawewa rest house with the participation of Government Agents of Jaffna, Vavuniya, Mannar, Kilinochchi, Batticaloa, Ampara, Puttalam, Polonnaruwa and Trincomalee and other officials. World bank officials also participated in the workshop, NEPC sources said.

The objective of the NEIAP 2 is to give people a choice about their future and hope. Under this project tanks will be repaired and roads will be rehabilitated. It will compensate people for losses incurred during conflict. The repeater project will also help the reintegration of displaced populations, infusion of cash into poor communities, mobilization of communities and developing sustainable micro-finance institutions and provide support to sustainable institutions at the community level, NEPC sources said.

The World Bank funded NEIAP-1 project, which was launched in the year 2000 is in the fourth year of implementation and due to end in December 2004. Based on the performance to date, the NEIAP-1 project has been able to reach conflict affected and vulnerable people living mostly in geographically isolated villages in the project area. The project interventions such as rehabilitation of irrigation tanks, rural roads, construction of drinking water wells and community centers and introduction of livelihood support activities have already benefited at least 35,000 families, NEIAP sources said.

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