Sri Lanka’s national electricity grid is on the verge of a substantial enhancement, as State Minister of Irrigation, Shasheendra Rajapaksa, recently announced that the Uma Oya project is nearing completion. The project is poised to inject an additional 120 megawatts of capacity into the system as early as next month.
State Minister Rajapaksa emphasized the Uma Oya project as a key component of several major multipurpose development initiatives currently underway under the Ministry of Irrigation. Many of these initiatives, including Uma Oya, have received foreign loan assistance for their construction and are nearing the final stages of completion.
The Uma Oya project extends beyond its contribution to the national grid, offering significant agricultural benefits. The irrigation component, set to become operational, will provide water to approximately 4,500 hectares of existing rice fields and 1,500 hectares of new land. This development is expected to substantially boost the country’s agricultural output.
In addition to the Uma Oya project, State Minister Rajapaksa highlighted other crucial irrigation initiatives within the Mahaweli Water Security Investment Program. These include the ambitious rehabilitation of the Minipe Canal, involving a 3.5-meter embankment raise, and the construction of the 90-kilometer North-West Provincial Canal, featuring an 11-kilometer tunnel.
