Under the auspices of President Mahinda Rajapaksa:

Rs.38 b Upper Kotmale hydro power Project soon

By L.S. Ananda WEDAARACHCHI

President Mahinda Rajapaksa will launch the Rs.38 billion Upper Kotmale Hydro Power Project (UKHP) this week.

It will add 150 mega watts to the national grid.

The concept of the UKHP was conceived during the master plan for hydro electric development in the Mahaveli basin in 1968.

The master plan was further studied from 1985-1987 when the Japanese Government funded a feasibility study to examine hydro power options in the upper reaches of Kotmale Oya.

The Japanese Government provided financial support in March 2002 to launch the UKHP project.

The UKHP is in the Southern Highlands in the Nuwara Eliya district.

The project area covers around 540 kms of the upstream catchment of the Kotmala Oya, a tributary of the Mahaveli river.

The project area is predominately rural in character with the majority of the population living in small rural communities or on tea plantations.

The dam site abuts Talawakelle which has a population of around 3750. The only other town is Pundalu Oya with a population of 2,000 people.

Families dehoused under this project were relocated in modern houses equipped with electricity and pipeborne water. Four hundred and ninety five families were in line houses constructed by British planters.

The line houses lacked basic amenities. The new houses were granted to project-affected families built on seven perch lands of their own.

The UKHP launched many social welfare programs such as income generation, health improvement and home gardening projects.

The project constructed several new buildings including new school building which can accommodate more than 500 students. Several afforestation programs to plant one million trees will be launched under the project to conserve the waterbed.

The farmers and the rural communities living upstream are being educated on soil conservation and proper solid waste disposal.

The dam of the UKHP which is in the town of Talawakelle with a height of 35.5 m and crest length of 180 m. The water of the Kotmale Oya diverted from the headpond through the intake from which the water enters into the headrace tunnel is about 13 km long. The headrace tunnel conveys the water to the power house cavern through the inclined penstock tunnel where two Francis turbine units were installed.

The underground power house is at close proximity to the Niyangandora village in the Kotmale Divisional Secretary's Division. After passing the turbines water will return to the Kotmale reservoir via a tailrace tunnel.