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President to inaugurate Stage II of Wayamba Ela Project
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A bird's eye view of the 65-km-long Wayamba Ela, which will carry 130 million cubic metres of water to the North Western Province under Stage I of the project
On August 24 President Maithripala Sirisena will inaugurate Stage II of the Wayamba Ela Project. Under this scheme, waters from the Mahaweli will be diverted from the Eastern Province to the Northern Province.
Launched in 2016 by President Sirisena, the aim of the project is to provide farmers in the area with an adequate supply of water during the Yala and Maha seasons.
Government sources state, eight large tanks and 353 smaller tanks are to be developed under the project. It is expected to facilitate uninterrupted irrigation facilities to 12,500 farms and direct benefits to 13,500 farmer families, in addition to providing indirect benefits to another 80,000 farmer families, these sounces said.
The government has already completed 50% of the work under Stage I of the project, at a cost of Rs.16 billion. The project is managed by the Mahaweli Water Security & Investment Project.