Water conservation:

Eighty dams get facelift

by Jayampathy Jayasinghe

The World Bank has granted a sum of Rs. 6,700 million to the Mahaveli Authority following a project proposal submitted by them in 2008 for maintenance of the dams and reservoirs across the country. The loan also provides foreign consultancy service to upgrade the maintenance of dams by using modern technology.

Meanwhile, 32 high risk dams including 16 dams belonging to the Irrigation Department, 11 dams to the Mahaveli Authority, 4 dams to the Ceylon Electricity Board, 1 dam to the Water Supply and Drainage Board have been selected of the 80 large dams found in the country. Under this project, the 32 dams will be fully rehabilitated. Some of the main dams are Thabowa Rediyagama, Usgala Siyabalagamuwa, Tissawewa and Inginimitiya dams earmarked for rehabilitation. However, the remaining 48 dams will be provided with safety facility owing to shortage of funds. However, access roads, generators and communication facilities at these dams will be enhanced.

The consultants are expected to commence work on the project along with local engineers this month, the Mahaveli Authority’s Project Director, of the Dams Safety and Water Resources Planning D.C.S. Elakande said.

He said 40 senior local engineers drawn from the Mahaveli Authority, the Irrigation Department, Ceylon Electricity Board, Water Board, Water Resources Board, Meteorology Department and Disaster Management Centre will work along with local engineers to maintain the sustainability of reservoirs. The government has taken a timely decision to prevent national disasters such as dams busting causing irreparable damage to property and human lives.

Human death toll in such tragedies can be very heavy, he said. Meanwhile several state agencies involved in conservation of water management resources at reservoirs will be brought under an umbrella organisation of the Mahaveli Authority for coordination and sharing of knowledge of the relevant agencies for conservation of existing dams from collapsing. He said a plan has been drawn by the Mahaveli Authority for agencies tasked with water resources management such as the Irrigation Department, Ceylon Electricity Board, Water Resources Board, National and Water Supply and Drainage Board to fall in line under one umbrella organisation in sharing their expertise and knowledge in respect of water conservation of dams.

Meanwhile, with the formation of an umbrella organisation core issues pertaining to dams such as updating information systems, ageing of dams, amalgamation of relevant agencies will be ironed out. The need for agencies to pool their knowledge had arisen following discussions held by the relevant agencies with regard to maintenance of dams. Some dams in the hill country had been partially affected following the tsunami disaster when water seepage was noticed by engineers.

Surveys conducted by Mahaveli Authority and other state agencies had revealed that dams constructed centuries ago had withered away and were in a dilapidated condition that required colossal funding to prevent structural damage. Further, engineers working at dam sites had faced operational problems manually operating dam sluice gates. Replacement of manually operated spill gates with computer guided system and the Skadar system used to monitor water levels would be immensely beneficial for efficient water management in future.

Such a system enables engineers based in Colombo to monitor the water levels of tanks in remote areas. Harnessing of data like rainfall and water levels at dams should be computerised for water resources management in future replacing outdated methodology. Although agriculture was the main stay of the economy in the past, priorities have shifted over the years.

Drinking water has become the number one priority in the world today. Without drinking water people will not be able to survive. People abused water by using it excessively while others polluted it. Project Director Elkaduwa said the brain drain has largely affected the country’s development effort. Several expert engineers in dam maintenance have migrated to other countries during the past twenty years posing a challenge for local engineers.

Project Director Elakaduwa said the country has invested huge sums of money for improving and managing water resources in the country and to reduce water with hazardous substance being released to the public. He said dams belonging to the Irrigation Department are earthen dams unlike modern dams that came under the Mahaveli Authority and the Electricity Board built out of concrete.

However, modern dams needs to be upgraded by installation of modern technology such as the Skadar systems. He said that critical issues relating to the biggest reservoirs like the Senanayake Reservoir, Samanneleweva, the Polgolla Tunnel and the Victoria Reservoir will be studied thoroughly before making recommendations to the government.