The value of Wewa (man-made large lakes in Sri Lanka

…are you aware of the current status of the great reservoirs coming under Mahaweli project? 65% of Rantambe reservoir is filled with mud. 35% of Randenigala reservoir is filled with mud. How old is this reservoir? It is not even 40 years old. Can you guess how old Sorabora reservoir is? It is 2,200 years old. The waters of Sorabora reservoir, still, feed the nation. It is, still, in progress. It is, still, in its shining beauty. It brings joy for the mind. It brings food for the hunger. Sorabora is a reservoir which takes care of your mind as well as your physical body. There are two great stone sluice gates associated with Sorabora reservoir. It is 2,200 years old. It is not 'dead' yet. Then, Randenigala reservoir? It is, now, 'suffering with' a cancer. 35% is already finished. Rantambe reservoir? 65% is filled with mud. This reservoir also 'suffers with' a cancer. It will survive for few years. We will build houses. But, they do not last long. How long will these buildings survive? 1,000 years? It is very doubtful. Palaces built by the kings are no more. Today, one can see only their ruins. But, there is one thing left in the country. What is that? Only these reservoirs are left for the future.

Parakrama Samudra (Sea of the Great King Parakrama) is 1,100 years old. Minneriya reservoir is 1,700 years old. Kala Wewa is 1,500 years old. Sorabora reservoir is 2,200 years old. Making of this particular reservoir was started in 183 B.C. How did it survive to this date? It was a part of mother nature. Its development was based on the inter relationship between man and the nature. It was not built by the loans taken from the World Bank. The technology of a foreign land was not used for it. It was built with our own money and technology. Please do not say 'NO' to our own knowledge coming from the past. We will have to understand it. If there is anything of the past to be praised, if it was accepted by the mother nature, we should welcome it. Sorabora Wewa is a part of the mother nature. It functions well to this day. New technology? What did happen to Rantambe reservoir which was built with foreign loans? It's time to examine and analyze our ancient civilization backed by our incomparable irrigation. It is great. It is marvelous. It is very scientific. The technology used was great, in deed. 

Who is really responsible for destroying our great reservoirs? It was the Whiteman. The British imperialist did colonize us. They came to our land, worked towards their plan and destroyed our reservoirs. In the time of the Welassa rebellion in 1818, there had been 100,000 paddy fields in Monaragala itself. If there were 100,000 paddy fields, 100,000 canals or reservoirs should be there to get waters for these fields. If that was the case in the past, how can we expect a scarcity of water today in a region which was a strong water catchment basin once? In the time of the Welassa rebellion, The British was surprised over the mental and physical strength of the Sinhalese race. 'There are 100,000 paddy fields… there is enough of food in surroundings… these Sinhalese have their own prosperous lands…. they have plenty of food…' the imperialists thought to themselves. 'Hence, to defeat this land, mental and physical strength of these Sinhalese should be attacked well. To do this… their reservoirs should be destroyed… their trees should be destroyed… their temples and monasteries should be wiped out…' And, of course, the imperialists did all these. They stated the process of destroying water reservoirs. For this matter, they grew pine trees in the central mountain region. They grew tea and coffee in the central mountain region. They destroyed all main vegetations. The central mountain region or Maha Ihaththaawa of our country is an region where we had our rain forests. In the past, our ancestors built reservoirs not in this very mountain region, but, in the lower plains. They considered the central mountain region as the region for the rain forests. But, later, all these virgin forests were destroyed by the British. The Whiteman handed over the country to the hands of the local leaders and expected those locals to continue with what the British did. So, with or without their knowledge, some scholars and leaders, still, destroy these reservoirs. They 'slaughter' the natural water springs. They 'slaughter' the rivers. When a human is dead, his body will be decomposed by the earth. And the same will happen with the trees as well. In fact, it is a benefit to the future. If a water spring, river or a mountain is 'slaughtered', will it be decomposed? we question that. Please think well. A factory can be established. A boutique or a shop can be opened. But, a water spring cannot be made. No any human being can 'produce' them. The beings can be bred. And, also the trees. But not the water springs. The rivers cannot be bred either. They should be taken care of. We should plan to look after them. We should feel it. It is impossible to estimate the value of the things we may lose in our land. 

Once, Oscar Wilde said 'The Value and The Price are not the same. They are two different things'. The waters taken from Uma Oya to Kirindi Oya can be measured in numbers and it is 145 mil. cubic meters. No one can value it. It may have a price but not a value for it. But, when these waters flow across the Uma Oya valley, can we price its value? The one who in interested only in the price but not the value is considered as 'a bastard' by Oscar Wilde, once.