Irrigation development is essential to revive the rural economy

President Anura Kumara Dissanayake has described irrigation development as essential to rebuilding Sri Lanka’s rural economy and connecting rural communities more directly to national growth.

He made the remarks during a meeting at the Presidential Secretariat to review the progress of the Lower Malwathu Oya Multipurpose Development Project and address obstacles to its next phase. The president had also recently inspected the project site. Officials used the meeting to discuss the problems identified during that visit and agree on solutions.

The project began 10 years ago but stopped midway because funding ran out. The government has now allocated 5 billion Sri Lankan rupees in the 2026 budget to restart construction.

The scheme is intended to tackle water shortages in the Lower Malwathu Oya valley, a major constraint on rural development and agricultural production. It also aims to create a new development area around Thanthirimale and increase cultivation intensity across 40,000 acres of paddy land served by the Yoda Wewa and Akithamuruppu Wewa reservoirs in Mannar District. Other planned benefits include drinking-water supplies, hydropower generation, flood control, a tourism zone, expanded fisheries, and measures to manage human-elephant conflict.

The government aims to complete the Lower Malwathu Oya reservoir project and hand it over for public use by 2029 or 2030. Once completed, it is expected to become the largest reservoir in Sri Lanka’s North Central Province.