The Asian Development Bank (ADB) has approved a $3 million grant to help address water shortages in Sri Lanka’s Northwestern and Uva provinces by building modern pipe distribution network systems, the bank announced. The project will provide irrigation to 877 hectares of farmland, supporting improvements in the country’s agriculture sector. Funded by the Japan Fund for Prosperous and Resilient Asia and the Pacific through ADB, the Transforming Irrigation Systems for Improved Food Security Project will construct four pipe distribution network systems on a pilot basis and provide technical and institutional lessons to demonstrate their benefits to 943 farming households.
Wider adoption of the irrigation technology will be rolled out in Sri Lanka in areas covered by the ADB-proposed second stage of the Mahaweli Water Security Investment Program. “ADB is proud to partner with the Government of Japan to support Sri Lanka’s agricultural production by piloting the use of PDN systems in rainfed lands and canal-based irrigated lands,” said Takafumi Kadono, ADB Country Director for Sri Lanka. “PDN systems improve water use efficiency, can be operated on demand, and are well suited in water-scarce conditions. Seasonal rainwater, particularly in the dry zone, limits farmers’ maximization of land use, and compromises food security and economic returns.”
Two small-scale gravity pipe distribution systems and a pumped pressure system in the Northwestern Province, and a large-scale gravity system in the Uva Province will be constructed to provide water for paddy and upland crops. Many smallholder farmers in these provinces grow crops under major, medium, and minor irrigation systems as well as rainfed conditions. Located within the dry and intermediate climatic zones, these regions are vulnerable to climate change. Installing high-efficiency pipe distribution systems will minimize water losses from canal-based irrigation, improve water-use efficiency through on-demand irrigation, and enable cultivation of high-value crops in the uplands.
Sri Lanka was hit by Cyclone Ditwah in late November, resulting in the country’s worst flood in two decades and the deadliest natural disaster since the 2004 tsunami. The disaster damaged over 160,000 hectares of paddy fields along with nearly 96,000 hectares of other crops and 13,500 hectares of vegetables. Through this support, ADB contributes to building back better and stronger, helping communities recover from disasters while improving long-term resilience.
