The Ministry of Wildlife and Forest Resources Conservation is taking steps to expedite the construction of the Maha Ela project in North Central Province aimed at bringing direct and indirect benefits to over 850,000 families by 2026.

Last week, The Ministry of Wildlife and Forest Resources Conservation, Pavithra Wanniarachchi engaged in an inspection tour of the project in Mahameegaswewa area in the Palugaswewa Divisional Secretariat Division in Anuradhapura.

During a discussion with the project engineers on site, Wanniarachchi said the positive impact from the project will help to uplift the livelihood of the people in the North Central province are of paramount importance. She told the officials present, that therefore it is the responsibility of all involved to complete the project quickly.

The construction of the 95.8-kilometer-long North Central Province Canal began in 2021 intending to take the waters from Moragahakanda Reservoir to Mahakanadarawewa. It includes a 27.7-kilometer-long tunnel between Konduruwawa and Mahameegaswewa.

Six kilometres were bored from the Mahameegaswewa end using a high-tech tunnel boring machine (TBM), and boring was started recently from the other end in Konduruwawa by using another TBM to speed up the construction. According to the Project Director Engineer B.W.M.W. Seneviratne Banda, 465 meters have been bored from the Konduruwawa end.

The project is funded by the Asian Development Bank credit scheme and Sri Lankan Government’s final contribution of Rs.49.8 billion. 12,500 hectares of new paddy fields will be irrigated under this project and 175,000 families and 7 lakhs of families will receive direct and indirect benefits respectively. In addition, the project is expected to provide significant solutions to the drinking water crisis in the North Central Province.