Ninety percent of the construction work on the Deduru Oya Irrigation Project,
launched with the intention of meeting the irrigation needs in the Kurunegala and Puttalam District, has been completed. It is geared to be vested in the public in October this year.
Sri Lanka is a country which has a developed irrigation system. With the ending of the 30-year cruel war, as pledged by President Rajapaksa in the Mahinda Chinthana, priority was given in the last few years to the reconstruction of small tanks and anicuts and the launch of Multipurpose Development Schemes. The public are already reaping its benefits.
Initially it was in the year 2005 that the foundation was laid for the launch of the Deduru Oya Reservoir Project which would pave the way to cultivate 11 thousand hectares of land. Until then such a project was only a dream for the people of the area since not a single administration hitherto had given thought to any such project. Two years were spent to acquire land for the Scheme after the conduct of a feasibility study.
Chamal Rajapaksa who was the Irrigation Minister during the year 2007 unveiled construction work on the Scheme with the total blessings of President Rajapaksa. The Deduru Oya Reservoir has a capacity of 75 million cubic feet of water. It is being built just below the site where the Hakwatunaa Oya, Kimbulaawaana Oya and Deduru Oya meet.
The total estimated cost of the Project is 10 Billion Rupees. Nearly 12 thousand families will benefit. The Deduru Oya Project will also meet the drinking water needs of 50 thousand families within the Kurunegala and Puttalam District. It is extremely an important Scheme for these two districts.
Construction work on the Project has come to the final state under the total supervision of Minister Nimal Siripala de Silva. Construction work on the 45 kilometres Left Bank Canal and the 32 metre long Southern Bank Canal is being expeditiously carried out. Construction is handled by the Sri Lankan Engineers. Director of the Deduru Oya Project Sunil Perera said that ninety percent of the work has already been completed.
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