New Approach for the Success of Yala cultivation in Dry zone under Drought Condition

Agriculture Ministry statics show that while the targeted acreage for cultivation during Yala 2012 was 494100 hectares. Only 348761 hectares have actually been cultivated. The harvest is estimated at 1.25 million metric tons. However these figures are expected to see drastic change due to the drought weather condition experienced in most part of the country, specially the agricultural areas. Of the cultivated lands, most paddy lands in the Anuradhapura and Polonnaruwa districts have been severely affected by the shortage of water. According to Agriculture ministry 5000 hectares of paddy lands in Kurunegala district have been completely destroyed by the drought. Under the above situation, the farmers of the Irrigation schemes who are in Galgamuwa area in Kurunegala district have been harvested their maximum yield in Yala 2012. This paper reviews the hydrological, meteorological records and strategies to examine the possibility of planning irrigation issues during Yala season 2012 in the Galgamuwa area.

ENGINEER, Vol. 47, No. 04, pp. 79-86, 2014