Minister expedites Malwathu Oya project

Nimal WIJESINGHE-Anuradhapura additional district group corr

Irrigation and Water Resources Management Minister Nimal Siripala De Silva instructed the ministry Secretary engineer Ivan de Silva and other executives to expedite preliminary arrangements for the construction of the lower Malwathu Oya reservoir in the Mannar district.

The minister inspected the proposed site for the lower Malwathu Oya reservoir during his official tour to Mannar.

Minister Nimal Siripala de Silva

The estimated cost of the project is Rs. 9,000 million of which the Treasury has already granted Rs 200,000,000.

Minister Siripala said President Mahinda Rajapaksa is developing the country as one. When the lower Malwathu Oya reservoir project is completed, the Tamil and Muslim communities in Mannar will benefit.

The proposed project is based on the Malwathu Oya Water Source and emerges close to Thantirimale at the Anuradhapura-Mannar district boundary. It will have a water capacity of 1,85,000 acre feet and around 13,000 acres will be submerged for the reservoir.

In the November-December period, the Malwathu Oya water flows at a speed of 2000 to 3000 cubic feet per second to the sea at Arippu without being utilized for any purpose, and the proposed reservoir will absorb the untapped water into it, sources said.

The minister instructed the irrigation authorities to get the environmental impact assessment report soon to enable construction work to begin within this year. About 500 families who were evacuated to facilitate the project will be compensated and offered lands along the downstream of the reservoir dam.

Minister Nimal Siripala de Silva met farmers cultivating under the Mannar Giant tank at the Uyilankulam Agriculture Training Institute and listened to their grievances. The farmers requested the minister and irrigation officials to renovate an abandoned ancient spill built by king Dhatusena. At spilling times, nearly 2000 acres under the tank get innundated, they said.

The minister visited Mannar's Akathimuruppu and Viyadikulam tanks being rehabilitated and inspected the progress of the restoration work. Akathimuruppu tank is rehabilitated at a cost of Rs. 160 million under the Japanese funded PEACE project. The minister also observed the Modaragamaru anicut rehabilitation worksite.

Minister Rishard Bathiudeen, Irrigation Ministry Secretary Engineer Dvan de Silva, former Irrigation Director General H.P. Somasiri, Additional Secretary Upali Wickramaratne, Engineers Palitha Wickramatilake, Mannar District Secretary Sarath Ravindra were also present.