Deduru-Oya project to fulfill long felt need

Priyanka Kurugala

The largest irrigation project of the North Western Province which is the Deduru-Oya project is progressing rapidly. By now all those who have protested against the project have expressed their satisfaction due to recent developments. Their lifestyles have improved under the project. It is a new dawn to the area. Around 27,000 acres of paddy will be cultivated after the project is complete.

Sri Lanka is a historic country which had a sophisticated irrigation system. Ancient kings made it a priority to build, reconstruct and maintain the country’s irrigation system. This irrigation system was the base of the agricultural civilisation of the country.

Local and foreign irrigation specialists have expressed their wonder of the system.

At present, the government has identified the importance of the construction of irrigation systems to provide water to develop agriculture and to improve the farming sector. The irrigation sector is one of the major components of power generation.

Objectives of the project

The objectives of the Deduru-Oya project are to provide water for farming, fishing, power generation, paddy cultivation, cultivation of subsidiary crops etc.

The Deduru-Oya project is the first and only irrigation project which has utilized Sri Lankan expertise in all aspects of the project which include engineering, feasibility studies, irrigation planning and labour. This is also the first project which has utilized Sri Lankan funds.

There are four major reservoirs to support irrigated agriculture systems. In the Deduru Oya basin, the surface water availability significantly varies spatially and temporally across the basin.

Hence, the water resources assessment is an important exercise to establish accountability of water to meet present and future demands. According to the Deduru-Oya project plan, 90 percent of constructions of the main bund has been completed.

Around 35 percent of the spillway has been completed. Over 90 percent and 85 percent of the construction in the Left bank sluice and right bank sluice have been completed. Also 10 and 60 percent of the right bank sluice have been constructed.

National power grid

The total capacity of the Deduru-Oya project is 75 million cubic metres. Around 1,400 square metres will be covered by the Deduru-Oya project and the estimated cost is Rs 6,200 million.

Authorities have drawn up a plan to irrigate a number of acres under the Deduru-Oya project. In addition 50,000 families can be provided with drinking water. Plans are afoot to supply 15 MW to the National Power Grid. Three thousand kilometres of road are also included in the development programmes.

A significant step is that irrigation engineers have drawn up a plan to irrigate around 300 other mini tanks under the cascades system.

Participating in an observation tour, Irrigation and Water Management Minister Nimal Siripala de Silva said that under this project a number of other development projects can be completed.

Project Co-Director Sunil Perera and Deputy Director Malani Kulasinghe said that they can see a huge positive change in the area due to the projects’s implementation.