COLOMBO, Feb 7 (NNN-XINHUA) – Sri Lankan President, Gotabaya Rajapaksa, inaugurated the construction of an irrigation tunnel, to be undertaken by the China State Construction Engineering Corporation Ltd (CSCEC), local media reported here yesterday.
President Rajapaksa, on Friday, laid the foundation stone at the groundbreaking ceremony for the 28-km-long irrigation tunnel, which stretches from Elahera Konduruwewa to Palugaswewa Mahamigaswewa, and passes through three wildlife sanctuaries.
The tunnel is part of the North Central Province Maha Ela Project, to divert excess water from the Moragahakanda and Kalu Ganga reservoir. Construction is estimated to cost 244 million U.S. dollars and is financed by the Sri Lankan government and the Asian Development Bank (ADB).
South Asia General Manager of CSCEC, Wang Zhouya, said that, the tunnel would be the longest irrigation tunnel in Sri Lanka, and would help mitigate droughts and floods, while providing water for agriculture.– NNN-XINHUA
