The Irrigation and Water Resources Management Ministry will launch a project this year to reconstruct valleys in 103 rivers for the first time, Minister Nimal Siripala de Silva said.

“The valleys of almost all rivers in the country have not been subjected to a proper survey or development and therefore there is an urgent need to develop them. The haphazard use of river water, lack of water management and illegal sand mining had done much damage to river valleys,” Minister De Silva said.

He said, almost all rivers have changed their flow pattern and unfavourably changed the landscape over the years. This change of flow has led to floods, earthslips and erosions due to human activities in addition to the influence of climate change.

“Our aim is to introduce a system to develop river valleys that could stand negative human activities and to increase capacity of rivers, tanks and reservoirs. The project expects to create a mechanism that would increase the retention of water by 100 percent. We would bring necessary legislations for the purpose with the consultation of other stakeholders like the Ministries of Environment and Agriculture. The Irrigation and Water Resources Management Ministry has asked for a grant of Rs. 100 million from the Treasury for 2013 for the project,” he said.

Source: Daily Mirror - Sri Lanka