Water facilities to 82,000 ha of lands :

Major irrigation projects for the North

By P. Krishnaswamy

The major Moragahakanda-Kaluganga Development Project (MKDP), now on an accelerated pace will, on completion in the next six years, mark a very significant milestone under the Mahaveli development projects, bringing thousands of acres of cultivable lands under the plough along its long course to the North Central and the Northern provinces, while also fulfilling the Northern people's long-awaited need of water for drinking and domestic use.

The capacity of the two reservoirs is almost six times the size of the Parakrama Samudra and it is second only to the Victoria Dam and Hydro Power Project, according to project authorities.

The significance of the project assumed new dimensions when President Mahinda Rajapaksa, during his historic visit to Jaffna on October 13 to inaugurate the resumption of the Yal Devi train service after 24 years, told people that waters of the Moragahakanda-Kaluganga project, under the Mahaveli development, will feed the Iranamadu tank in Kilinochchi to fulfil their water requirement.

The MKDP, although formulated more than four decades ago under the Mahaweli Master Program, did not see the light of the day due to various reasons. However, it was later included in the "Mahinda Chintana" Development Program and President Mahinda Rajapaksa laid the foundation stone on January 25, 2007, the sources said.

Explaining to the Sunday Observer the progress that the project has made until now and the salient features of the project, Secretary to the Ministry of Irrigation and Water Resources Management Eng. K.W. Ivan de Silva and Project Director R.B. Tennakoon provided the following details:

The total investment for this major project is a staggering US $ 2.1 Billion although, according to the original estimates, the amount was US $ 650 Mn. The two reservoirs, the Moragahakanda and the Kaluganga reservoir, are to be constructed at the initial stages and the work is now in progress.

Funding for the second stage link canal construction will be obtained also from the Asian Development Bank (ADB).The total number of families getting displaced due to inundation of their places of residence, under the two projects, is 2,500. An amount of US $ 125 Mn or more will be spent on the relocation/rehabilitation of the families.

The project will be implemented in several stages phased over a period of the next six-eight years. Construction of the Moragahakanda Reservoir with funds raised from the China Development Bank is now in progress and the world's leading construction company, the Sinohydro Corporation of China, is entrusted with the construction work.

The construction of the Kaluganga Reservoir is to be undertaken with funding from the Kuwait Fund for Arab Economic Development (KFAED), the Saudi Fund for Development (SFD) and the OPEC Fund for International Development (OFID). The local inputs are from the engineers of the Irrigation Department which would save millions of rupees to the national coffers.

Hurulu Wewa

The Kaluganga and the Morakahakanda reservoirs will be linked by a link tunnel about nine kilometers (km) in extent and comprises 8 km of tunnelling.

The Hurulu Wewa reservoir in the North Central province will be linked by the Upper Elahera canal. Kaluganga-Moragahakanda Transfer Canal (KMTC) will convey up to 771 MCM of water annually between Kaluganga and Moragahakanda Reservoirs, both of which are under construction.

The Upper Elahera Canal (UEC) will annually convey up to 974 MCM northwards from Moragahakanda Reservoir, along a 70 km canal (including about 20km of tunnels and 16 km of cut-cover conduits), to the existing Huruluwewa and Mannakattiya Reservoirs, which feed existing irrigation and water supply schemes.

At the final phase the water will be transferred to the Kanagarayankulam tank and from there to the Iranamadu tank in Kilinochchi and will eventually augment drinking water supplies to Jaffna and Kilinochchi.

The Iranamadu reservoir will get 100 MCM water annually. This, in turn, will help towards further uplifting the socio-economic welfare of the people people of the North ravaged by nearly 30 years of terrorism.

One important feature is that when the water reaches the Iranamadu reservoir and from there to areas of Kilinochchi and Jaffna, there will be no declaration, whatsoever, of Mahaveli Zone Development zone or acquiring of land rights.

Initial stage

The Moragahakanda-Kaluganga Development project is to provide irrigation for agriculture and water for domestic and industrial use in Central, North central, Eastern, North and North Western provinces of Sri Lanka.

Generation of electricity by hydro power (25 MW), Development of inland fisheries, promotion of eco tourism and flood control in lower basins in the dry zone are other objectives that are to be fulfilled under this project.

At the initial stage, with the construction of Moragahakanda and the Kaluganga reservoirs, it will become possible to provide irrigation water facilities to 82, 000 ha of lands for both Yala and Maha seasons and domestic and industrial water to Anuradhapura, Polonnaruwa, Trincomlee and Matale districts.

Here about 5,000 ha of new lands for agriculture will be open up and developed under the project. The North Central Province canal (NCP canal) will successfully irrigate 135,189 ha of new and prevailing agricultural lands for both seasons in eight river basins at North and North Central Provinces. To facilitate this activity 8 tanks have been planned to be construct in eight river basins in the area. The Moragahakanda-Kaluganga Development project is to provide irrigation for agriculture and water for domestic and industrial use in Central, North central, Eastern, North and North Western provinces of Sri Lanka.

Generation of electricity by hydro power (25 MW), Development of inland fisheries, promotion of eco tourism and flood control in lower basins in dry zone are another objectives that are to be fulfilled under this project.

With the completion of first stage construction activities of the Moragahakanda-Kaluganga Development Project, it will be possible to provide irrigation water facilities to 82, 000 ha of lands for both Yala Maha seasons and domestic and industrial water to Anuradhapura, Polonnaruwa, Trincomlee and Matale districts.

Here about 5,000 ha of new lands for agriculture will be open up and developed under the project. Cropping intensity will be enhanced from 100 percent to 154 percent in the Development Area. With the implementation of the project it will be increased up to 181 percent on the average.

Direct benefits include increased rice yield per hectare with an additional agricultural production of 123,000 tons annually. The net annual agricultural benefits will be US $ 30.1 million in monitory terms. The average annual fish production potential of the reservoirs is estimated to be around 4,700 tons per year, representing a net benefit US $ 1.67 million annually. The annual fuel cost savings with the hydro power production will be around US $ 2.49 million on an annual average.