Sri Lankan President Maithripala Sirisena (4th R, front) and China's Ambassador to Sri Lanka Yi Xianliang (5th R, front) attend the impounding ceremony at the Moragahakanda dam reservoir in Central Sri Lanka, Jan. 11, 2017. Sri Lankan President Maithripala Sirisena inaugurated the impounding ceremony on Wednesday at the Moragahakanda Dam in Central Sri Lanka to meet the urgent water demand in several districts. (Xinhua/Yang Meiju)
COLOMBO, Jan. 11 (Xinhua) -- Sri Lankan President Maithripala Sirisena inaugurated the impounding ceremony on Wednesday at the Moragahakanda Dam in Central Sri Lanka to meet the urgent water demand in several districts.
The dam was constructed by Sinohydro Corporation limited of China, at an estimated cost of 252 million U.S. dollars.
Sirisena inaugurated the impounding process in the presence of China's Ambassador to Sri Lanka Yi Xianliang and several ministers.
Yi said Moragahakanda dam is one of the most important livelihood projects constructed by Chinese company in Sri Lanka. As relation of the two countries is staging a great period of critical opportunity, more Chinese enterprises will come and invest in Sri Lanka.
Sirisena last year said the Moragahakanda reservoir project would resolve the agricultural and drinking water problems faced by the farmers in Rajarata, ending their year-long sorrowful tale.
The dam is the main component of the larger Moragahakanda-Kalu Ganga Project, the biggest multi-functional irrigation project in the island country.
It is expected that the annual agricultural benefits from paddy cultivation alone as a result of the larger project would be around 30.1 million dollars, while the fresh water fish breeding industry would contribute around 1.67 million Sri Lankan Rupee to the national economy via benefits from this project. Most importantly, through power generation, the country would annually save 2.49 billion dollars.
