ADB Funds $3mn Pipe Distribution Networks to Boost Agriculture in SL

The Asian Development Bank (ADB) has approved a USD 3 million grant to address water shortages in Sri Lanka’s North Western and Uva Provinces by constructing modern pipe distribution network (PDN) systems. The project will provide irrigation to 877 hectares of farmland, supporting 943 farming households and improving agricultural productivity.

The Transforming Irrigation Systems for Improved Food Security Project is financed through the Japan Fund for Prosperous and Resilient Asia and the Pacific (JFPR), supported by the Government of Japan via the ADB. It will pilot four PDN systems, two small-scale gravity, one pumped pressure system in North Western Province, and one large-scale gravity system in Uva Province. Technical and institutional lessons from the pilot are expected to inform wider adoption under the ADB-proposed second stage of the Mahaweli Water Security Investment Program.

ADB Country Director for Sri Lanka, Takafumi Kadono, said: “PDN systems improve water use efficiency, can be operated on demand, and are ideal for water-scarce conditions. Seasonal rainwater limits land use and compromises food security; these systems will help farmers maximise production and cultivate high-value crops.”

The modern PDN systems are particularly important following Cyclone Ditwah in November, which caused the worst flooding in two decades, damaging over 160,000 hectares of paddy, nearly 96,000 hectares of other crops, and 13,500 hectares of vegetables. The project supports both disaster recovery and long-term agricultural resilience in climate-vulnerable regions.