Writing the World from a River
Mapping Mahaweli is a website that is based on the Accelerated Mahaweli Development Program (AMDP). This is Sri Lanka’s largest multipurpose national development program initiated in 1961 aimed at large-scale development of the Mahaweli basin in a number of directions including agricultural production, irrigation systems, resettlement of people, and flood mitigation. My inspiration for this project is my dissertation research that focus on household water insecurity in communities where Chronic Kidney Disease of uncertain etiology is prevalent. CKDu is reported from several areas that is connected to the AMDP. Often, in my conversations around water insecurity, people shared with me their experiences coming to these areas in the “dry zones” which made me realize the importance of looking at historical data of the AMDP. While I was exploring literature on the AMDP I realized that much of the historical data on the project are not digitally accessible. The Mapping Mahaweli Project intends to cater to the research needs of fellow researchers interested in Sri Lankan or South Asian Studies.
The map documents two main points of constructions of the AMDP: (1) dams and (2) Town centers established under the Mahaweli colonization schemes. While this is not a comprehensive map, it is my expectation that these marked points will give the users a sense of the expansion of the development project. You have the option to view dams and town centers simultaneously or separately. Each marker contains more details and pictures of the dams and a brief description of the system the town center belongs to.
Mahaweli Memories are written as a recollection of stories that the settlers of the AMDP shared with me during my pre-dissertation fieldwork in Ampara and Anuradhapura districts. I have compiled this collection of stories as a way of archiving resettled people’s memories around the AMDP. Also, I use my own sketches and photographs in creating these stories. Sometimes, I also offer an analysis of the stories. I have anonymized the names of locations and people. These stories that are grounded in people’s memories and everyday realities shed light on dynamics of techno-politics of a development project. I plan to incorporate more Mahaweli Memories to this website as I generate more ethnographic data.
In About the AMDP (coming soon) you can read about the AMDP (e.g., its objectives, how it progressed over time under various governments, colonization schemes). I expect to expand this section as I collect and review further writings on the AMDP.