Lanka Rain Water Harvesting Forum

PROJECTS

Enhancing the Biodiversity through Rain Water Harvesting and Rain Water Recharging

Project

Enhancing the agriculture biodiversity of home gardens as agro-forestry systems in marginal lands of the dry zone villages in Sri Lanka through rainwater harvesting.

Project Area

Palugolla and Meewellawa villages of Kotawehera divisional secretary area of Kurunegala district.

Duration

01st December 2003 to 31st March 2004

Funded by

UNDP/ GEF/ SGP

Goal

As a pilot project agricultural biodiversity home gardens are maintained as an agro-forestry system in marginal lands of dry zone areas.

Objectives of the project

1.	Biodiversity conservation through capacity building of partners.
2.	Creating awareness on the importance of agriculture biodiversity to respective stakeholders.
3.	Promotion of agro-forestry systems in home gardens to maintain the agriculture biodiversity.

Expected Outputs of the project

1.	Partners will have sound knowledge skills and attitudes towards on biodiversity conservation.
2.	Partners will play advocacy role to the community on biodiversity.
3.	Community and school children are educated on the importance of biodiversity.

Output of the Project (at the completion)

Five training workshops on advocacy were completed and through that eighteen partner organizations in the project area were trained in biodiversity conservation.

Five awareness creation programs have been conducted on agricultural biodiversity conservation for community & school children.

To promote agro-forestry in home gardens, 10 awareness programs on agro-forestry systems and their benefits were conducted to the community.

25 home gardens in the project area were selected through a technical assessment and are being developed as demonstration multi layered home garden. fruits and timber plants, vegetable seeds, medicinal plants and technical knowledge and assistance was given to these beneficiaries to develop the home garden.

Out of these 25 home gardens 16 beneficiaries were given both modern and traditional rainwater harvesting systems.



	Pathaha - The traditional way of collecting & recharging rain water



	Artificial Recharging System

Research on ground water recharging with RWH

- The recharging structures experimented here are the traditional water "Pathaha", bore hole and well. 3 types of ground water recharging were constructed in 9 sites. Ground water levels of adjoining wells and recharging structures are taken daily. Also rainfall of the area, ambient temperature and relative humidity using wet and dry bulb thermometer, evaporation rate readings (using US WB type open pan evaporate meter) are been taken to verify the effect of ground water recharging structures on recharging the ground water table.

- To popularize biodiversity conservation in home gardens by promotion of agro forestry systems and rainwater harvesting practices posters, leaflets, T-shirts, caps, stickers and book about home gardening published by LRWHF distributed among the stakeholders

Last Updated January 2009