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SRI
L
A
Time
of Testing!
Recent news reports about Sri Lanka have not all been
good. We sent a team to this island
nation to get the big picture for our readers. Here is their report.
Colombo
O
UR
fi rsthand investiga–
tion of Sri Lanka has
been eye-opening.
Among the lands of
South Asia the island nation of
Sri Lanka is certainly fortunate.
Its palm-fringed beaches are
washed by the warm waters of
the Tndian Ocean. I n t he inte–
rior, there are fertile farmlands,
lush forests and cool green
mountains where sorne of the
best tea in the world is grown.
The population of just more than
16 million hardly overcrowds the
land. And the people-72 percent
Sinhalese and 20 percent Tamils–
are generally healthy and literate.
Sri Lanka has been able to avoid
the worst of the hunger and hope–
less poverty that neighboring
nations in this part of the world
have to face.
Sri Lanka is considered a success
among the world's developing
nations because nature has been
kind to the land. But the nation's
success and prosperity have not
come about merely by good fortune
and lucky breaks. The Sri Lankans
have worked hard and in recent
Large photos, from top: Settlers and
wives lay turf along tbe banks of
newly constructed canal. Victoria
Dam, one of the key elements in the
Mahaweli Master Plan. Rice is
transplanted into paddy fields where
crop will grow to maturi ty.
July / August 1985
years have made sorne bold deci–
sions concerning the direction of
their development.
For nearly a decade Sri Lanka
has been the scene of a number of
enlightened programs designed to
benefit her people. These have been
largely unnoticed and unreported
in a world press that has focused
primarily on communa] and ethnic
differences. Yet the implementa–
tion of these programs has shown
courage and foresight on the part of
Sri Lanka's present leaders.
Now, as the Sri Lankans stand
poised to reap the benefit of their
labors, they face sorne difficult
challenges. How the people respond
to the needs of· one another will
decide whether this island republic
can continue to develop toward
peace and prosperity.
Mahaweli Development Project
In late
J
977 then Prime
M
inister
Junius J ayewardene launched one
of the most ambitious irrigation
and hydroelectric schemes in mod–
ern bistory. It was to become
known as the Accelerated Mahawe–
li R iver Development Program–
"accelerated" because its object
was to telescope a massive engi–
neering project originally envi–
sioned as a 40-year development
program into one of less than 1O
years.
The goa1 was to harness the mas–
sive Mahaweli River to generate
hydroelectric power and irrigate
more than one million acres of a
dry zone so that it could be made
availa.ble to Jandless families.
Hundreds of new vi11ages were to
be established in the irrigation
area.
Historica] records show that vast
irrigation works once brought
water to the fert ile dry zone that
covers much of the southeast of the
country. R ese rvoirs (called
"tanks") with interconnecting ca–
nals formed the foundation of a
prosperous civilization that lasted
nearly a thousand years.
But after A.D. 1200, the central
monarchy fragmented into separate
kingdoms, leaving the island prey
to a succession of foreign invasions.
The canals fell into disuse and the
tanks dwindled into mosquito-rid–
den swamps.
The population was forced into
less fertile areas to eke out an exis–
tence as subsistence-level farmers.
Areas that had once supported
thousands could now support only
dozens per square mile.
The ancient tanks can still be
seen scattered over the dry zone to
this day. Sorne of the tanks were
~
restored in the last century by the
li:
1
British, but most have remained
empty to this day.
f~
In a farsighted and ambitious
!~
program to uplift its people, the
!5
government of Sri Lanka has set
~i
out to reconstruct and improve
~§
upon the irrigation system that was
~!
the agricultura] base of the coun-
~~
try's former greatness.
~¡¡;
The distinguishing factor in this
!~
program is a genuine desire on the
i~
part of her leaders to increase the
~
..
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