About
us
Project
for propagation of Bamboo for reafforesting the banks of
the Mahaweli River was initiated by her Excellency the president
of Sri Lanka in 1998. (Under the Cabinet Paper 98/1152/01/025
dated 02/06/1998).
Responsibility
of the project was under the Presidential secretariat from
June, 1998 to December, 2001.
Then
the project was handed over to Environmental & Forest
Conservation Division of Mahaweli Authority of Sri Lanka
in January 2002.
The
first batch of 7000 in vitro plants, ceremonially planted
by Honorable Minister Maithripala Sirisena in the embankments
of the Mahaweli river at Naranvita on 2nd December, 2006.
The
project is comprises with three phases.
Phase
I - (1998 to 2007), Establishment of Tissue culture laboratory
and Mass propagation of Bamboo (Dendrocalamus Species) by
Tissue Culture Technology,
Phase
II - ( 2008 to 2012), Mass propagation of Bamboo and Planting
of Bamboo on the bank of the Mahaweli river and main tributaries.
Phase
III- Enterprise development for processing of Bamboo
Introduction
The Riverine-Bamboo Project (RBP) was launched to reforest
riverbanks with bamboo through bio-technical propagating.
The purpose of the Project is to minimize the bulk soil
erosion at the Mahaweli River banks, its tributaries and
Mahaweli reservoir banks.
Other
benefits of this project are;
Support the National Poverty alleviation Programme.
Bamboo could be used as alternative for timber requirement.
Using it for Dendro power generation could use bamboo as
a source of energy.
The
identified issues of the Mahaweli riverbank and tributaries
are;
No adequate protection for banks of Mahaweli River and its
tributaries.
Tidal actions cause further bank erosion / loosening down
& clumping of banks.
New gullies are formed due to lack of vegetative cover along
the riverbanks.
These issues are directly or indirectly affecting the environmental
sustainability of Mahaweli River and also to the objectives
of the Mahaweli Development Programme.
It is identified that Mahaweli reservoirs (specially Polgolla)
are being silted due to catchment erosion including riverbanks.
The Mahaweli River is also being further widening.
It has also been identified that Bamboo planting at reservoir
periphery and riverbanks is one of the greatest solutions
to minimize this issue.
In addition, bamboo is the fastest growing tree on the earth
and good biomass producer.
Since the conventional planting material production is limited
and slow in-vitro propagation of bamboo is the only solution
to meet the planting material demand. Apart from that the
bamboo planting material produced through in-vitro culture
techniques will be uniform, free from diseases and pests
and has about 40% higher vigour than the conventional materials.
This will lead to even higher biomass production and thus
giving more profit for a unit area.
Objectives
Goal of the proposed project
Minimizing of bank erosion at Mahaweli river / reservoirs
through Bamboo planting - Environment Conservation of Riverine
Areas and introduce improved Horticultural crops to Mahaweli
settlers.
Development of Bamboo Industry and Horticultural based industry
to enhance income of rural poor.
Benefits
To increase the vegetative barriers to minimise the wave action
of river water and to minimise the bulk soil erosion at the
riverbanks.
To improve the vegetative cover / “Natural Wall”
at the river and reservoir banks within a short duration.
To enhance the Bamboo productions through this conservation
programme.
To increase availability of bamboo materials for paper pulp
industry./handy crafts, etc.
To rehabilitate the degraded/abandoned mountain lands in the
Catchments.
Increase income of Mahaweli settlers by providing improved
varieties of Horticultural plants to establish in their lands.
Project
area
Riverine
area of Mahaweli River / reservoirs and tributaries.
Degraded
and abandoned mountain lands in the Mahaweli watershed.
Riverine
areas of Mahaweli Systems of down stream areas and Mahaweli
settlements.
