lahmeyer International has signed a contract with the Maheweli Authority of Sri Lanka to prepare a feasibility study for the Moragahakanda development project.
The Moragahakanda project is a multipurpose water resources development scheme. It will be the next major stage in a long term plan to exploit the Mahaweli Ganga, Sri Lanka’s major river basin. The main purpose of the project will be to increase water supplies to drought-prone irrigation areas in the northern and central areas of Sri Lanka.
The project will involve the construction of a 60m high dam with a total crest length of approximately 1050m on the Amban Ganga tributary,
forming a reservoir with about 550M m3 of storage. Additional potable and industrial water supplies could also be supplied to major towns in the region, and a small hydro power station with an installed capacity of 10MW may be constructed. The project is expected to improve the standard of living and quality of life of irrigation farmers and consumers who will receive an improved supply of water. The developer promises ‘an acceptable mitigation of any negative impacts’.
The objective of the feasibility study will be the production of a comprehensive report on the technical, financial, economic, environmental and social feasibility of a storage reservoir at Moragahakanda. The study is scheduled for completion by the end of 2000.
