Villagers say problems not over
As the Uma Oya Multipurpose Development Project enters a new phase of generating hydropower, the woes of some of the villages in Welimada, Bandarawela, and adjoining areas are still not over
V.A.S. Sajeevana Deshapriya, secretary of an ad hoc organisation representing the residents affected by the Uma Oya project, says he collects data on the affected persons and the damage caused by the project.
“Our immediate fear is that the free distribution of drinking water to the affected areas through bowsers is due to come to an end by the end of the month,” Mr. Deshapiriya said.
With the Iranian company FARAB completing the project, its payments for the distribution of water will also come to an end, he said, adding that villagers have been warned that they will not receive water from next month.
“In any case, people receive water only once every four days, and that too is limited to 500 litres, which is hardly sufficient for a home,” he said.
Commenting on the claims made by officials that the groundwater levels were rising, he said he believes that it was due to recent rains that there has been a rise, but was not sure if it would be consistent.
Mr. Deshapriya claimed that paddy farmers in the affected areas were now forced to use the land to grow vegetables.
The worries of the villages are not confined only to the water issue but also to the cracks in the houses that continue to appear. Charmari de Silva from the Kirioruwa village said that more cracks have appeared on houses and buildings in the area. A temple in the area was also affected.
Another concern among the villagers has been that the land prices in the area have plummeted over the years, and as a result, many of them have not been able to sell their lands at a reasonable price.
Our villages have been identified as water-scarce areas and therefore are no longer attractive for people to buy land here, the residents said.
Meanwhile, some of the groups that have been campaigning for the rights of those affected have pointed out that the water crisis was predicted as far back as 2008, well before the project started.
They have pointed out that some of the warnings had been ignored by the authorities, and proper testing had not been carried out. They said most of the issues could have been minimised if proper testing had been carried out.