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Deduru Oya - first irrigation project to utilize SL expertise


Deduru Oya project

* Largest irrigation project in NWP
* Country's sixth largest river
* Total cost - Rs 6,000 million
* Total capacity of reservoir is 75 million cubic metres
* Around 15,000 families to benefit



Construction site of Deduru Oya project. Picture by Nissanka Wijerathne

The Deduru Oya is a famous and beautiful river in Sri Lanka. A number of folk stories centering around this Oya have been created. People in the villages call this Oya, 'Appata Putha Kiw Oya.' Stories have originated around the Deduru Oya exemplifying its unpredictability. During the dry season the river is very silent like a sandy ground. However, when it rains the sandy ground automatically turns into a wide river. This situation creates difficulties for the people who live in the low lands.

Considering this situation, the Irrigation Department had come forward to solve these problems.

Deduru Oya is the sixth largest river in the country. Annually, around 1,000 cubic metres of water flows to the sea. To utilize this water, project proposals were forwarded in 2000.

According to historical evidence, there were three small anicuts that had let water out from the Deduru Oya during King Parakramabahu's period. The anicuts are Sukaranijja, Kottabedda and Doradakkina. Ruins were found at the site of these anicuts which were constructed by stones. These are not very high. At present, local engineers are trying to create a large anicut in the North Western Province to provide water for paddy lands.

The Deduru Oya project is rapidly progressing. B. A. A. S. Perera is the project director of this construction site. It is the largest irrigation project of the North Western Province.

Under the guidance of Irrigation and Water Management Minister Nimal Siripala de Silva and Secretary to the Ministry Ivan de Silva construction work is continuing.

All those who protested against this project, have now expressed their satisfaction.

It will bring a new dawn to the area. Around 27,000 acres of paddy will be cultivated once it is completed.

Under the Deduru Oya project, water can be provided to develop agriculture in this area. Apart from that, this project can be one of the major components of power generation.

There are other objectives of the Deduru-Oya project. Providing water for farming, fishing, power generation, paddy cultivation and cultivation of subsidiary crops are some of them.

According to Project Director B. A. A. S. Perera, the Deduru-Oya project is the first and only irrigation project which has utilized Sri Lankan expertise in all aspects which include engineering, feasibility studies, irrigation planning, etc. On the other hand, this is also the first project which has utilized Sri Lankan funds. Deputy Director Planning Malani Kulasinghe is also providing her support to implement this project.

In the Deduru Oya basin, the surface water availability significantly varies spatially and temporarily across the basin. Hence, the water resources assessment is an important exercise to establish accountability of water to meet present and future demands. Apart from that many road development projects are also implemented utilizing the rest of the soil removed from the work site. Three thousand kilometres of roads are also included in the development programmes.

According to the Deduru-Oya project plan, around 90 percent of the construction of the main bund has been completed while 60 percent of the construction of the left bank sluice too has been completed. Eighty five percent of the South bank sluice and 90 percent of the left bank sluice has been completed. The authorities have estimated that it would be possible to provide drinking water to around 50,000 families under this project.

Farmers who cultivated only one season per year, from Deduru Oya, will be able to cultivate Yala and Maha seasons, after the completion of the Deduru Oya project.

The total capacity of the Deduru-Oya reservoir is 75 million cubic metres. Around 1,400 square metres will be covered by the Deduru-Oya reservoir.

Authorities have drawn up plans to irrigate a number of acres under the Deduru-Oya project. In addition, around 50,000 families can be provided with drinking water. Plans are afoot to supply 15 MW to the national power grid.

A significant step is that irrigation engineers have drawn up a planto irrigate around 300 other mini tanks under the cascades system. Seventy percent of the construction of the Deduru Oya project has been completed.

The project will be inaugurated at the end of 2013 and water can be provided to around 50 percent of farmers under the Deduru Oya project.

Around 15,000 families will directly benefit under the project while around 200,000 individuals will directly and indirectly benefit. The total estimated cost of the project is Rs 6,000 million. Rs 4,200 million has been spent for the project to date.

This is the largest irrigation project in the Kurunegala district. This will be a boost for development and enhance the living standard of the people in the area. The left canal will divert water from Deduru Oya to Inginimitiya reservoir to a length of 44 kilometres. The Southern canal will divert water at Kadigawa, Mahawewa. It is 33 kilometres long. The Deduru Oya project was accelerated under the Mahinda Chinthanaya – Vision for the Future programme.

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