Uma Oya Multipurpose Development Project inaugurated
Thanks to the UOMDP, approximately 4,500 hectares of new land and 1,500 hectares of existing agricultural land in the Monaragala District will receive irrigation water.
Sri Lankan President Ranil Wickremesinghe and Iranian President Dr. Ebrahim Raisi jointly inaugurated the Uma Oya Multipurpose Development Project (UOMDP) on Wednesday (Apr 24).
Dr. Raisi arrived on the island nation on Wednesday morning via the Mattala International Airport, where he was accorded a warm welcome by Prime Minister Dinesh Gunawardena.
His visit comes after a special invitation extended by his Sri Lankan counterpart, marking the first visit of an Iranian President to Sri Lanka since former President Dr. Mahmoud Ahmadinejad’s visit in April 2008.
Shortly after his arrival, President Raisi participated in the public ceremony marking the inauguration of the UOMDP which aims to alleviate water scarcity in the southeastern dry region of the country by redirecting an annual average of 145 million cubic meters (MCM) of excess water from the Uma Oya basin to the Kirindi Oya basin.
Owing to this project, approximately 4,500 hectares of new land and 1,500 hectares of existing agricultural land in the Monaragala district will receive irrigation water, the government said in an earlier statement.
Moreover, the areas of Badulla, Monaragala, and Hambantota will benefit from 39 million cubic meters (MCM) of water for drinking and industrial purposes, while generating and adding 290 GWh of electrical energy annually to the National Grid.
Thanks to the UOMDP, approximately 4,500 hectares of new land and 1,500 hectares of existing agricultural land in the Monaragala District will receive irrigation water.
The project encompasses the construction of two reservoirs at Puhulpola and Dyraaba, a conveyance tunnel (Link Tunnel) spanning 3.98 kilometers to connect the two reservoirs, a 15.2-kilometer-long Head Race Tunnel, Surge Shaft, Pressure Shaft, Underground Powerhouse, Switchyard, Transmission line, Tailrace Tunnel, and related infrastructure.
