Around 32,000 have been settled within a land area of 80,000 acres, expending of Rs. 32,000 million by the government, to enhance rice production in the country under the Mahaweli development programme. The main water supply to the H zone is from Kalawewa reservoir which has a capacity to irrigate 27,000 acres of land. But later more and more land was brought under paddy cultivation in excess of the water available to feed the crops. Ultimate result was the shortage of water for nearly 53,000 acres of paddy cultivation. There is an acute shortage of water for the daily needs of the farmers, apart for their cultivation needs, the sources said. A farmer from Rattota in Matale District, who had settled in the area with his family in 1972 said the Kala Oya could provide sufficient water for irrigation during the Maha seasion as there was enough rain. But during the dry season supply of water from the reservoir for the Yala crop would not be sufficient specially with the excess acreage coming under rice cultivation. Therefore the farmers switch to vegetable cultivation during Yala, he said. A Mahaweli officer said sugar cane cultivation was planned in Eppawala, Thalawa, Thambuttegama and Nochchiyagama areas but under the accelerated Mahaweli scheme even those areas came under rice cultivation. So there is a water shortage for the Yala crop. The acreage coming under cultivation was increased without an increase in the water storage capacity. This was unplanned and the result was frustration among Mahaweli H zone farmers.