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Anamaduwa farmers decry politicians who ruined tank
View(s):Illegal encroachments and landfilling backed by politicians over the years, have ruined an irrigation tank in the Anamaduwa area, thereby affecting thousands of farmers who have less water for their crops.
Farmer organisations point out that the Petthikulam tank has lost almost half of its capacity due to encroachments.
The 300-year-old tank in Anamaduwa town was used earlier to irrigate some 25 acres of paddy land, but now the cultivable land has been reduced to 10 to 15 acres.
The Petthikulam tank has lost almost half of its capacity due to encroachments
Ariyawathi
The farmer organisations have blamed politicians, including two former deputy ministers who have now passed away, for allowing people to build houses by filling the tank, while a part of the land was taken over by an auctioneer.
One former state minister had also given permission to divide the tank into two sections and have a new dam, favouring his party supporters.
They said that some of the former Divisional Secretaries, too, had been responsible for helping encroachment.
The Anamaduwa Pradeshiya Sabhawa, too, had allowed the weekly fair on a temporary basis, but now the structures have been made permanent.
Houses built on filled areas of the tank. Pix by Hiran Priyankara The Petthikulam tank has lost almost half of its capacity due to encroachments
W.M. Ariyawathi, president of the Petthikulam Farmers Association, said that petitions had been sent to the Divisional Secretary leading up to the President but had not drawn a response.
“Our appeal to the authorities is only to safeguard the tank, which is useful to the farmers in this area, which is affected by drought regularly,” she said.
Agrarian Service Commissioner G.K.S. Pushpakumara told the Sunday Times that there were several issues pertaining to the tank and they were under investigation.
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