The Kivul Oya Crisis and Protests february 2026: Balancing Irrigation with Indigenous Rights

Structural Displacement and Demographic Engineering: An Advocacy Dossier on the Kivul Oya Reservoir Project in Vavuniya North

The resumption of the Kivul Oya Reservoir Project in 2026 has emerged as a focal point of ethnic tension, political mobilization, and human rights advocacy in Sri Lanka’s Northern Province. While ostensibly a developmental initiative under the Ministry of Irrigation and the Mahaweli Authority, the project is characterized by the local Tamil population and their elected representatives as a strategic instrument of "Sinhalization"—the state-facilitated alteration of ethnic demographics to diminish Tamil political and territorial claims.¹ The protest held in Nedunkerny on February 2, 2026, underscored the deep-seated grievances regarding land dispossession, the destruction of traditional water management systems, and the perceived continuation of majoritarian policies by the National People's Power (NPP) administration.³ This dossier provides a comprehensive assessment of the project’s financial discrepancies, sociopolitical implications, and the unified political resistance mounted by Tamil representatives.

Evolution and Financial Architecture of the Kivul Oya Project

The Kivul Oya (or Kibul Oya) Reservoir Project is situated within the Mahaweli ‘L’ Zone, a development area that spans the borders of Anuradhapura, Trincomalee, Vavuniya, and Mullaitivu districts.⁴ The project centers on the damming of the Kivul Oya, a major tributary of the Ma Oya, to create a reservoir with a capacity of 64 Million Cubic Meters (MCM).⁶

Project Phase	Estimated Cost (LKR)	Status	Timeline
Initial Approval (2011)	4,170 Million	Approved	2011 – 2015
Implementation (2021)	8,000 Million	Active	2021 – 2025
Suspension (Dec 2023)	N/A	Suspended	Economic Crisis
Resumption (Jan 2026)	23,456 Million	Approved	2026 – 2031

Budgetary Inflation and Resource Allocation

The project’s financial history is marked by extreme volatility and massive cost escalations. Initially approved in 2011 with a budget of Rs. 4,170 million, the project was suspended in late 2023 due to the national economic crisis.⁷ Upon its resumption in early 2026, the Cabinet of Ministers approved a revised budget of Rs. 23,456 million.⁹

This represents an increase of over 460%, a figure that far exceeds standard inflationary adjustments for major infrastructure in the region.⁷ The use of domestic funds for such a capital-intensive project during a period of debt restructuring indicates a high-priority political commitment to the project’s completion.⁴

Political Mobilization: Speeches and Grievances at the Nedunkerny Protest

On February 2, 2026, a large-scale demonstration was organized in Nedunkerny, Vavuniya North, calling for the immediate cessation of the Kivul Oya project.³ The protest featured a broad coalition of Tamil political parties, including the Ilankai Tamil Arasu Kachchi (ITAK) and the Democratic Tamil National Alliance (DTNA).⁴

Parliamentary and Grassroots Arguments

The primary arguments presented by the Members of Parliament (MPs) centred on administrative secrecy and the deliberate exclusion of local Tamil stakeholders.

●       M.A. Sumanthiran and the ITAK Leadership: Acting as a lead spokesperson, Sumanthiran and other ITAK leaders highlighted that the government had kept the project hidden for 16 years, avoiding discussion in local District Coordinating Committee meetings to bypass local representatives.⁴ They argued the project was implemented without the knowledge of local officials to facilitate a demographic shift under the guise of development.

●       Dr. P. Sathiyalingam (MP): Speaking both in Parliament and at the demonstration, Dr. Sathiyalingam alleged that the primary motive is "Sinhalization"—settling Sinhalese families to change the population balance, clearing 5,000 to 10,000 acres of forest land in the process.⁴ He sharply criticized the partisan behavior of government officials, noting that "When Tamil people are arrested for cutting even wooden poles to fence their agricultural land, it is surprising that large-scale deforestation using heavy machinery over one and a half months went unnoticed".⁴

●       Thurairasa Ravikaran (MP): Ravikaran identified a "death sentence" for several Tamil villages and tanks. He noted that the water—specifically rainwater from Nedunkeni—is being diverted to benefit existing Sinhalese settlements in Padaviya and Welioya rather than local farmers.⁴

●       Gajendrakumar Ponnambalam (MP): While opposing the project, the TNPF leader criticized the moral authority of ITAK to lead the protest. He claimed he had raised objections in Parliament when the budget was debated, while ITAK remained silent.² He alleged that ITAK had historically facilitated similar demographic changes, such as the renaming of Kokkachankulam in 2017.²

●       MP Shanakiyan Rasamanickam (MP): Political betrayal by the NPP government. “The people of the Vanni trusted them... the 'gift' the NPP has given in return is a project designed to settle 1,600 new Sinhalese families."

Destruction of Traditional Water Management and Livelihoods

The project is viewed as an overhaul that threatens to submerge ancient "cascade" irrigation systems that have sustained Tamil farming communities for centuries.⁴

Specific Villages and Tanks at Risk

MP Thurairasa Ravikaran provided a detailed list of specific locations facing total or partial submergence.⁴

Category	Impacted Locations	Consequences
Submerged Villages	Kattupoovarasan Kulam, Kanchuramottai, Maruthodai, Navalar Farm, Kallatrikulam, Ichchankulam, Koolankulam	Displacement of ancestral Tamil communities.4
Submerged/Damaged Tanks	Raman Kulam, Kottodai Kulam, Periya Kattukulam, Vedivaichakallu Kulam	Loss of localized irrigation and food security.4
Impacted Districts	Vavuniya North, Mullaitivu	Disruption of district-level agricultural output.4

The loss of these tanks represents a transition from community-managed water systems to a centralized, state-controlled model under the Mahaweli Authority of Sri Lanka (MASL). Critics note that the project report indicates beneficiaries will primarily be over 4,000 existing settler families and 1,600 new families, with no benefit to the local Tamil population.¹³

Environmental Degradation and Cultural Erasure

The Kivul Oya project carries catastrophic implications for the Vanni’s dry-zone forest ecosystems and historical heritage.

Biodiversity and Human-Elephant Conflict (HEC)

Construction and land clearing will result in the loss of approximately 2,500 hectares of forestland.¹⁵

●       Habitat Loss: The project will inundated habitats for four globally threatened and eight nationally near-threatened species.¹³

●       HEC: Protesters and environmentalists warn that deforestation will worsen the human-elephant conflict by destroying traditional corridors.¹⁵ The government’s plan to relocate ruins into an elephant corridor is criticized as inadequate and hazardous to wildlife and monuments alike.¹⁵

Archaeological Reclamation

The project area contains over 50 archaeological sites.¹⁶ Protesters allege the destruction of 47 archaeological sites specifically relevant to Tamil history.¹⁷

●       Sinhalization via Archaeology: Tamil advocacy groups argue that the state uses archaeological preservation as a pretext to declare lands "protected," displacing Tamil residents and replacing them with Buddhist monasteries that anchor new Sinhala settlements.¹

●       Damage to Sites: Recent development and treasure hunting have already damaged several sites, including the Halambawewa stupa mound and the Wediwettukallu image house.¹⁹

NPP Governance: Broken Promises and Political Continuity

The resumption of the project under the NPP administration has caused profound disappointment among Tamil voters who expected a departure from ethno-religious politics.⁹

Broken written Promises

Speakers at the demonstration expressed deep disappointment with the current administration (specifically mentioning the NPP/JVP). They accused the government of breaking its written promise to stop development projects that alter ethnic demographics.⁹

●       Electoral Shift: While the NPP won a mandate for "national unity," their continuation of the Kivul Oya project—using domestic funds during a debt crisis—is seen as a betrayal of the minority communities that supported them.²⁰

●       Administrative Partisanship: MPs noted that the project was implemented without the knowledge of local representatives, continuing the pattern of centralizing power in Colombo and the MASL at the expense of Provincial Councils.⁴

Conclusion and Recommendations

The Kivul Oya project is viewed by local communities and their representatives as a "covert attempt" by the government to alter the demographics of Vavuniya North under the guise of development.⁹ The protest concluded with a unified call from various Tamil political parties and civil groups to continue resistance until the project is abandoned.

Strategic Recommendations:

●       Immediate Moratorium: Halt all construction and land clearing until a transparent, multi-ethnic social and demographic impact audit is performed.¹⁷

●       Linguistic Transparency: Provide all project documents and EIAs in Tamil, as currently mandated by law but reportedly neglected.¹⁴

●       Local Governance Oversight: Transfer project management to the Northern Provincial Council to ensure local Tamil and Muslim farmers are primary beneficiaries rather than distant settler populations.²

●       Environmental Protection: Restore traditional tank systems rather than pursuing capital-intensive reservoirs that destroy 2,500 hectares of forest.¹⁵

     In solidarity,

     Wimal Navaratnam

     Human Rights Advocate | ABC Tamil Oli (ECOSOC)

      Email: tamilolicanada@gmail.com

Works cited

1.     THE ANTI-DEVELOPMENT MACHINE - People for Equality and Relief in Lanka, accessed February 2, 2026, https://pearlaction.org/wp-content/uploads/2026/01/PEARL_Sinhalization-as-an-anti-development-machine_report.pdf

2.     Gajendrakumar Rejects ITAK's Right to Lead Kivul Oya Protest - Jaffna Monitor, accessed February 2, 2026, https://www.jaffnamonitor.com/gajendrakumar-rejects-itaks-right-to-lead-kivul-oya-protest/

3.     Breaking News in Sri Lanka - Ada Derana, accessed February 2, 2026, https://www.adaderana.lk/search_results.php?mode=1&show=1&query=

4.     Tamil MPs Raise Alarm Over Kivul Oya Irrigation Scheme - Jaffna Monitor, accessed February 2, 2026, https://www.jaffnamonitor.com/tamil-mps-raise-alarm-over-kivul-oya-irrigation-scheme/

5.     About - කිවුල් ඔය ජලාශ ව්‍යාපෘතිය, accessed February 2, 2026, http://korpmasl.weebly.com/about.html

6.     A/HRC/47/NGO/81 General Assembly - Official Document System, accessed February 2, 2026, https://documents.un.org/access.nsf/get?Open&DS=A/HRC/47/NGO/81&Lang=E

7.     Cabinet approves resumption of Kivul Oya Development Project | The Morning, accessed February 2, 2026, https://www.themorning.lk/articles/k5vBRskguCUVL8ua3eCQ

8.     Government to resume Kivul Oya Reservoir project - DailyNews, accessed February 2, 2026, https://dailynews.lk/2026/01/20/local/936845/government-to-resume-kivul-oya-reservoir-project/

9.     Tamil MPs Raise Alarm Over Kivul Oya Irrigation Scheme, accessed February 2, 2026, https://www.jaffnamonitor.com/featured/tamil-mps-raise-alarm-over-kivul-oya-irrigation-scheme/

10.  Protest against Kivu Oya project scheduled in Nedunkerny on Monday (02 February), accessed February 2, 2026, https://datasurfr.ai/news/protest-against-kivu-oya-project-scheduled-in-nedunkerny-on-monday-02-february/

11.  What Sri Lanka and Gaza Teach Us About the Futility of Armed Struggle - Jaffna Monitor, accessed February 2, 2026, https://www.jaffnamonitor.com/what-sri-lanka-and-gaza-teach-us-about-the-futility-of-armed-struggle/

12.  Full article: Contending with identity and minority rights in transitional justice: the case study of Sri Lanka - Taylor & Francis, accessed February 2, 2026, https://www.tandfonline.com/doi/full/10.1080/13642987.2024.2355269

13.  Kivul Oya Reservoir Project ECBA | PDF | Environmental Impact Assessment - Scribd, accessed February 2, 2026, https://www.scribd.com/document/669761222/Kivul-Oya-Reservoir-Project-ECBA

14.  Comments on EIA of the PROPOSED KIVUL OYA RESERVOIR PROJECT, accessed February 2, 2026, https://ejustice.lk/comments-on-eia-of-the-proposed-kivul-oya-reservoir-project/

15.  Kivul Oya Project: EIA report claims positives will outweigh negatives - Sunday Times, accessed February 2, 2026, https://www.sundaytimes.lk/200315/news/kivul-oya-project-eia-report-claims-positives-will-outweigh-negatives-396483.html

16.  Archaeological Ruins in Welioya Halambawewa Area | AmazingLanka.com, accessed February 2, 2026, https://amazinglanka.com/wp/halambawewa-en/

17.  THE DESTROYED LAND, LIFE, AND IDENTITY OF THE TAMIL PEOPLE IN SRI LANKA - BANNEDTHOUGHT.NET, accessed February 2, 2026, https://www.bannedthought.net/Tamil%20Eelam/Colonization/endless-war-web.pdf

18.  Tamil Land Rights Crisis in Sri Lanka | PDF - Scribd, accessed February 2, 2026, https://www.scribd.com/document/498241779/Endless-War-Web

19.  Archaeological Ruins in Welioya Nikawewa | AmazingLanka.com, accessed February 2, 2026, https://amazinglanka.com/wp/welioya-nikawewa-en/

20.  The Rise of the JVP-led NPP: A Clear Political Shift in Sri Lanka - Indian Council of World Affairs (Government of India), accessed February 2, 2026, https://www.icwa.in/show_content.php?lang=1&level=3&ls_id=12091&lid=7367

21.  Sri Lanka's National People's Power Faces the Legacy of Civil War ..., accessed February 2, 2026, https://www.crisisgroup.org/asia-pacific/sri-lanka/sri-lankas-national-peoples-power-faces-legacy-civil-war

22.  One Year On: Sri Lanka's Leftist NPP Government Falls Short of Expectations - Jurist.org, accessed February 2, 2026, https://www.jurist.org/features/2025/11/08/one-year-on-sri-lankas-leftist-npp-government-falls-short-of-expectations/

23.  What We Allow, We Have Become - Colombo Telegraph, accessed February 2, 2026, https://www.colombotelegraph.com/index.php/what-we-allow-we-have-become/

24.  වාර්ෂික කාර්යසාධන වාර්තාව - The Parliament of Sri Lanka, accessed February 2, 2026, https://www.parliament.lk/uploads/documents/paperspresented/1657097427026985.pdf