Malwathu Oya reservoir project to begin

Nimal Wijesinghe A’pura additional district group corr

Initial arrangements are being made to begin the Malwathu Oya Reservoir Project close to Thantirimale area on the Anuradhapura Manner district boundry.

The Malwathu Oya Reservoir Project once completed will fulfill the irrigational and drinking water requirements in the Mannar district, now being developed under the government’s Mannar Reawakening project launched by the Economic Development Ministry. Senior Irrigation Engineer in charge of institutional affairs under Mannar Reawakening project Palitha Wickramatilake said that the proposed Malwathu Oya Reservoir would have water capacity of 158,000 acre feet, covering around 5000 forest land along the down stream of Malwathuoya.

The government on the instructions of President Mahinda Rajapaksa has allocated Rs 1000 million to meet the initial cost.

At present via Thekkama ancient anicut standing across Malwathoya, the giant tank, and Agathimuruppu tank and the cascades are fed with irrigational water for cultivating around 30,000 acres simultaneously to the governments resettlement programme in the district.

”In 1958/59 period under S.W.R.D. Bandaranaike regime a Russian team of experts had visited the Thantirimale area and after thorough inspection had earmarked the Malwathu Oya down stream area which we have demarcated coincidently now for the construction of ‘Malwathu Oya Reservoir’.

But due to various misunderstandings and political issues the Russians’ proposal was not realized.

”The construction work of the Malwathu Oya Reservoir Project being patronized by President Rajapaksa was to be initiated parallel to Deyata Kirula – 2012. But due to lapses in the finalization of environmental reports etc the programme has been postponed.”

”We have planned to resettle the families who are dispossessed of their habitats owing to the reservoirs project in an area of 1,000 acres of forest along the Malwathu Oya banks towards Tekkama area” Wickramatilake said.

He hoped that construction work would begin in June 2012. Wickramatilake said that the Eastern corner of the dam of the proposed Malwathyu Oya reservoir will be leaning against the natural huge reef extending from the historic Thantirimale temple proximity thus providing additional reinforcement.

It is learnt that economic Development Ministry has planned to upgrade Mannar district as a major rice processing and exporting zone according to Economic Development Minister Basil Rajapaksa who visited Mannar recently. The Mannar district would be among few highly developed districts in next year resulting from governments Northern development plans such as “Uthuru Wasanthaya” and “Mannar Reawakening” etc.