Recent media reports indicate the revival of the proposed Kivul Oya Project under the Mahaweli L Scheme, which has implications for land ownership and use for present residents, as well as environmental and other impacts. Furthermore, concerns have been raised that the proposed project will lead to new settlements of Sinhalese communities, which may adversely affect the land and livelihoods of Tamil farmers who have lived in the area for several decades. These concerns were first discussed by the Centre for Policy Alternatives (CPA) in its 2011 report,titled “Land Issues in the Northern Province: Post-War Politics, Policy and Practices,” which reported on plans to alienate lands to the majority community in the guise of development projects with the potential to alter demographics. While the project stalled in the immediate post war period, documents and interviews indicate that the project is being revived under the present government. As noted in the 2011 report, the Mahaweli L Scheme is perceived by local communities as a tool used in the guise of development to alienate lands to the majority community and introduce new settlements, with it creating fear and apprehension among the minority communities. CPA notes that the 2011 initiative was introduced during the tenure of then President Mahinda Rajapaksa, with new documentation pointing to the project being revived in 2019 and continuing during the presidency of Gotabaya Rajapakse. CPA and others have noted several initiatives introduced during the post war years of 2009-2015 and 2019-2022 that attempted to alienate and acquire land in the North and East of the country that were informed by ethno-nationalism, militarisation and development projects and creating fears among minorities of losing their land and livelihood. With the revival of the Kivul Oya project, questions must be asked whether the present government is persisting with projects commenced under the Rajapakse government that aim to create new settlements in the guise of development with wide implications for land and livelihoods of minority communities, change ethnic demographics and threaten coexistence.
CPA Comms Officer on 5 February, 2026