Another development project under President Gotabaya Rajapaksa’s “Vistas of Prosperity and Splendour” National Policy Framework recently came to fruition, as the Madiwela Western Urban Agriculture and Environmental Development Project was opened to the public.
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The walking path alongside the field[/caption]
A mix of both agriculture and leisure, the project was the first of its kind and was opened to the public on 15 December 2020 by Prime Minister Mahinda Rajapaksa.
The 23-acre development project includes the development of an agricultural system as well as the construction of a jogging lane and cycling lane, a children’s park, an outdoor gymnasium, and two parking lots and also two tanks that will supply water for cultivation.
The project initiated its development process on 21 April 2020, with the construction work of the project being carried out by the Sri Lanka Land Development Corporation (SLLDC), with the intervention of the Urban Development Authority (UDA).
“The entire project includes a 1.5 km walk lane, two 1.5 km bicycle lanes, a spacious children’s park, an eight-point outdoor gymnasium, two car parks with the capacity to hold 40 vehicles at any given time, and two tanks which will collect water during both the Maha and Yala cultivation seasons,” the UDA stated.
It added that the entire project was implemented in two phases and cost Rs. 390 million to complete.
The project also consists of 44 paddy field plots, where the cultivation of local varieties with the use of organic fertiliser could be observed. The UDA explained that this was to appreciate local paddy farmers and also to create an exemplary local food culture. This also marked the first time 44 plots of land were used to popularise land crop cultivation in the suburbs of Colombo.
The reconstruction of these paddy fields came under the first phase of the project and was done with the participation of the Department of Agrarian Development, in collaboration with the farmers of the area. In addition to paddy, 44 farmers were brought on to grow non-traditional land crops such as grapes, cabbage, radish, and bell pepper. Moving forward, stalls are to be put up near the walking path in order to market each of the farmers’ produce.
The UDA stated that prior to the implementation of the project, 12 unauthorised constructions were moved from the premises of the project by giving each household a sum of Rs. 6 million.
According to the UDA, despite the Western Urban Agriculture and Environmental Development Project beginning construction work during the height of the first Covid-19 outbreak and continuing on through the second wave in October, the project had managed to reach completion.
During its opening, Prime Minister Rajapaksa stated that the country’s development projects should be implemented successfully, despite the challenges caused by the Covid-19 pandemic.
Madiwela was the second project of its kind, with the first being the Kimbulawala Model Paddy Field and Environmental Development Project that was completed in 2013 by the UDA, under the guidance of President Rajapaksa who was the Secretary of Defence at the time. The objective of the first project was to make effective use of the vacant lands in the suburbs of Colombo.
The UDA further stated that there are two more similar development projects currently underway, one being the utilisation of 93 acres in Mirihana, which is owned by the area’s local government, and the other being the utilisation of 80 acres of low-lying lands close to the Sri Jayewardenepura Hospital, which belongs to both the local government and private individuals.
The walking path alongside the field[/caption]
A mix of both agriculture and leisure, the project was the first of its kind and was opened to the public on 15 December 2020 by Prime Minister Mahinda Rajapaksa.
The 23-acre development project includes the development of an agricultural system as well as the construction of a jogging lane and cycling lane, a children’s park, an outdoor gymnasium, and two parking lots and also two tanks that will supply water for cultivation.
The project initiated its development process on 21 April 2020, with the construction work of the project being carried out by the Sri Lanka Land Development Corporation (SLLDC), with the intervention of the Urban Development Authority (UDA).
“The entire project includes a 1.5 km walk lane, two 1.5 km bicycle lanes, a spacious children’s park, an eight-point outdoor gymnasium, two car parks with the capacity to hold 40 vehicles at any given time, and two tanks which will collect water during both the Maha and Yala cultivation seasons,” the UDA stated.
It added that the entire project was implemented in two phases and cost Rs. 390 million to complete.
The project also consists of 44 paddy field plots, where the cultivation of local varieties with the use of organic fertiliser could be observed. The UDA explained that this was to appreciate local paddy farmers and also to create an exemplary local food culture. This also marked the first time 44 plots of land were used to popularise land crop cultivation in the suburbs of Colombo.
The reconstruction of these paddy fields came under the first phase of the project and was done with the participation of the Department of Agrarian Development, in collaboration with the farmers of the area. In addition to paddy, 44 farmers were brought on to grow non-traditional land crops such as grapes, cabbage, radish, and bell pepper. Moving forward, stalls are to be put up near the walking path in order to market each of the farmers’ produce.
The UDA stated that prior to the implementation of the project, 12 unauthorised constructions were moved from the premises of the project by giving each household a sum of Rs. 6 million.
According to the UDA, despite the Western Urban Agriculture and Environmental Development Project beginning construction work during the height of the first Covid-19 outbreak and continuing on through the second wave in October, the project had managed to reach completion.
During its opening, Prime Minister Rajapaksa stated that the country’s development projects should be implemented successfully, despite the challenges caused by the Covid-19 pandemic.
Madiwela was the second project of its kind, with the first being the Kimbulawala Model Paddy Field and Environmental Development Project that was completed in 2013 by the UDA, under the guidance of President Rajapaksa who was the Secretary of Defence at the time. The objective of the first project was to make effective use of the vacant lands in the suburbs of Colombo.
The UDA further stated that there are two more similar development projects currently underway, one being the utilisation of 93 acres in Mirihana, which is owned by the area’s local government, and the other being the utilisation of 80 acres of low-lying lands close to the Sri Jayewardenepura Hospital, which belongs to both the local government and private individuals.