The final implementation support mission of the
Climate Smart Irrigated Agriculture Project (CSIAP) commenced this morning
(28th) at the World Bank Office under the patronage of Dr. Sheu Salau, Senior
Agriculture Economist and Task Team Leader (TTL) for CSIAP. The mission, which
runs from October 26 to November 10, 2025, aims to assess the project’s overall
physical and financial progress as it approaches completion on December 31,
2025.
Key Objectives of the Mission
The mission will:
(i) review the progress of ongoing tank rehabilitation contracts and other
civil works, including downstream development, and assess any potential risks
of non-completion;
(ii) evaluate the status of critical actions identified during previous
missions, particularly the farmer-level database and the borrower’s completion
report;
(iii) oversee the handover of activities that form the foundation for the
upcoming Integrated Rurban Development and Climate Resilience Project, with a
focus on Cascade Management for Small Tanks; and
(iv) follow up on the preparation of the World Bank’s Implementation Completion
Report (ICR).
The
World Bank Mission Team
The mission team included Ms. Thiruni Liyanage (Co-TTL
/ Senior Water Specialist), Mr. Athula Senaratne (Senior Agriculture
Specialist), Ms. Anula Harasgama (Senior Financial Management Specialist), Mr.
Shanek Fernando (Senior Social Development Specialist), Mr. Seenithamby
Manoharan (Senior Consultant – Agriculture and Rural Development), Ms. Sithara
Attapattu (Consultant), Mr. Jayantha Ganesh (Consultant), Mr. Sarath
Wickramaratne (Institutional Development Consultant), Mr. Jagath Seneviratne
(Monitoring and Evaluation Consultant), Mr. Sanjeewa Rodrigo (Value Chain and
Agribusiness Consultant), and Ms. Thanuja Androvita Gamage (Team Assistant).
Ms. Saumya Srivastava (Agriculture Specialist and CSIAP ICR Author) joined the
mission remotely.
Engagement
with CSIAP and Government Institutions
The CSIAP team, led by Mr. Saman Bandulasena, Project
Director, comprised Deputy Project Directors, Specialists, and Officers.
Specialists and officers from the Project Management Unit (PMU) of CSIAP
delivered thematic presentations before the World Bank officials. During the mission period, the team intends to visit
areas where the CSIAP is being implemented and meet with relevant staff from
the Ministry of Agriculture, Livestock, Lands, and Irrigation; the Department
of Agriculture; the Department of Agrarian Development; the Department of
External Resources; the National Planning Department; and the Project Management
Unit.
Recognition
of the CSIAP’s Founding Leadership
Meanwhile,
at the project’s kickoff meeting held at the Department of National Planning held on 28th last month, Additional Director General Ms. S. A. Batagoda extended her
sincere appreciation to Mr. S. Manoharan, Senior Consultant of the World Bank
and the founding Task Team Leader of the CSIAP. She commended him for his visionary
role in conceptualising and designing the project, as well as for laying a
strong and strategic foundation that has enabled the CSIAP to progress steadily and
deliver meaningful results for farming communities in climate-vulnerable
hotspot areas.
