Moragahakanda Agricultural Development Project (MADP)
Sri Lanka
Period: 2010
Client/Finance: Japan International Cooperation Agency (JICA)
NKUK provided the Environmental Specialist on the NK team conducting the SAPROF study for this project. The project involves the construction of a 60m dam and two saddle dams to store water and regulate flow into irrigated areas D and F that will be further developed as part of the Mahaweli Ganga Programme. People displaced by the new reservoir will be resettled in the new irrigated areas downstream. The benefit will be increased area of irrigation and increased intensity of production. Financing of the project is under consideration by JICA.
The original EIA was conducted in 1996.The aim of the environmental element was to ensure that the EIA and all subsequent documentation is adequate for a project that will go on to final design in 2011. Local consultants were commissioned and supervised in the upgrading of the Environmental Management Plan (EMP) and the Environmental Monitoring Plan (EMoP), which were previously inadequate.
A major issue was the need to sustain wildlife interests whilst creating a major reservoir. New protected areas will be gazetted, including an elephant corridor to enable elephants to continue their historic migrations through the area. Major investments will also be made in electric fences to corral the elephants and avoid human / elephant conflict. All such matters had to be defined and agreed with the Mahaweli Authority of Sri Lanka (MASL) and the Department of Wildlife Conservation.
The NKUK Environmental Specialist worked in close concert with the NK Social Specialist concerning resettlement issues.
