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Mavil Aru Anicut |
Mavil Aru Anicut is a concrete weir that regulate the supply of water to some parts of eastern Sri Lanka. Built across the Mavil Aru, the weir is maintained by Divisional Irrigation Engineer Muthur, to irrigate paddy land falling under Allai Extension Scheme which is the only major Irrigation scheme that benefits the farmers in Muthur, Seruwila, and Verugal Divisional Secretariat areas. Mavil Aru Anicut has 4.8 km of earthen bund and three spillways at three different locations. The official beginning of Eelam War IV is marked by the closing of the sluice gates of this anicut in 2006 by LTTE (Liberation Tigers of Tamil Eelam), a militant group designated as a terrorist organization by several countries including Sri Lanka, India, the USA and the EU.
Blockade of the Anicut by LTTE
In April 2006, the LTTE withdrew from the peace process with Sri Lankan Government and resumed widespread violence. After a series of assassinations and bombings, they closed the gates of the Mavil Aru anicut on 21 July 2006 depriving around 30,000 residents in government-held areas who depended on its waters for drinking and irrigation (Smith, 2010). When negotiations failed, the Government of Sri Lanka initiated the "Operation Watershed" to reclaim control of the waterway (Smith, 2010). By August 8, 2006, the military reclaimed the Mavil Aru anicut. After series of intensified battles, LTTE was finally defeated by the government forces in May 2009 ending the 26-year-long Sri Lanka Civil War.
Mavil Aru Tank and Archaeological Evidence
The waters of the Mavil Aru tank or the Mavil Aru Water Spreaded Area is regulated through Mavil Aru Anicut, Verugal Anicut, 4 Nos Radial Gated Spill and 100 ft Causeway (natural spill). A site with archaeological evidence was recorded in 2013, located in the thick forest cover about 1 km southeast to the Mavil Aru tank (Thantilage et al., 2013). The Ilandamadu Monastery, probably a Panchavāsa complex located near this site, contains an inscription in Later Brahmi by King Gajabahu I [(114-136 A.D. (Thantilage et al., 2013)]. The inscription states that the water tax from an unnamed tank was granted to the monastery (Thantilage et al., 2013). As there is no other tank nearby, it is believed that the inscription refers to the nearby Mavil Aru tank (Thantilage et al., 2013).
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References
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1) Smith, J.O., 2010. Maritime interdiction in counterinsurgency: the role of the Sri Lankan Navy in the defeat of the Tamil Tigers (Doctoral dissertation, Monterey, California. Naval Postgraduate School). p.59.
2) Thantilage, A.; Indika V.; Pushpakumara, T.D.C.; Senanayake, S.; and Jayasinghe, P., 2013. Newly Discovered Māvil Āru Archaeological Site: A Possible Trade Hub In the Eastern Sri Lanka and Findings From an Ebi Site Watawān Close to Māvil Āru. Colombo: Postgraduate Institute of Archaeology, 2013.
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Attribution
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LankaPradeepa.com extends its gratitude to Mrs Badra Kamaladasa (Former Director General of Irrigation) for providing the necessary photographs required for this article. All the photos are published here with the permission of the author.