MINISTRY OF IRRIGATION AND WATER

RESOURCES MANAGEMENT

IRRIGATION DEPARTMENT

KALU GANGA LEFT

BANK DEVELOPMENT
KANTALE - KINNIYA

PREPARED BY
K.SUBRAMANIUM
PROJECT DIRECTOR
Project Description
PROBLEM TO BE ADDRESSED
According to Statistics of District Secretariat, Trincomalee for year 2013
2013, the total irrigated area under major and medium tanks in Kanthale
are 3615 ha and 869 ha respectively while the cultivation area under rain
fed is 891 ha. In Kinniya, the total irrigated area under major and medium
tanks are 980 ha and 508 ha respectively while the cultivation area under
rain fed is 2117 Ha.
According Statistics of Divisional Secretariat, 2012 there are 3209 Samurdhi
recipient families out of 13940 families in the Kanthale DS Division while
there are 8177 Samurdhi recipient families out of 18257 families in the
Kinniya DS Division. Average monthly income of a family of the area is
varying in the range of Rs. 6,000 to Rs. 8,000 which resulted in the poor
living standards for most of the families

PROPOSED INTERVENTION
In order to alleviate poverty and improve living standards of the people of
Kantale and Kinniya Divisional Secretariat Divisions, it is proposed increase
the agricultural productivity and the farmer income. The agriculture in the
area is hampered both during Yala season due to dry spells and also Maha
season due to high intensity rainfalls such as hurricanes, high wind. Even in
dry periods, there is sufficient water flow in the Mahaweli River in the
project area draining unproductively to sea throughout the year. Either use
of excess water received in wet season during the dry season by conserving
in storages (reservoirs) or diverting water form Mahaweli River during the
dry spells are possibilities to mitigate scarcity of water.

TOPOGRAPHY OF THE AREA

The proposed project area is mainly located in Kanthale and
Kinniya Divisional secretary divisions in the Trincomalee district
of the Eastern Province except the right bank area of the
proposed Kalu Gaga reservoir which is located in the
Madirigiriya Divisional secretary division in the Polonnaruwa
District

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ACCESS
The proposed Dam of Kalu Ganga can be reached by travelling
along A6 road to reach the clock tower at 85 km post
(Potankadu Junction)
Then travel another 10 km along the Sugar-factory road and
turn right and travel another 200 m, then turn left and travel
another 10 km along the earthen road to reach the location of
the dam. The total distance to the location of dam from
Colombo is 236 km.

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LAND USE PATTERN OF PROJECT AREA

Google Earth image of proposed Kalu ganga tank bed area was
taken. When this image is observed, it can easily be identified
two different land use patterns either side of the Kalu Ganga.
The left bank clear area is a part of the area used for cultivation
of sugar cane during period that Kanthale Sugar factory was
operated. Kantale Sugar Factory was constructed in 1957 as a
grant offered to the country during the tenure of Prime
Minister S W R D Bandaranaike by the government of
Czechoslovakia and it was opened in 1960. It had been
smoothly functioning as a profit earning venture until 1986.
Later factory was ceased its operation. At present this area
exists as bare land and is not used for any productive purpose.
The right bank area is covered with forest belongs to
Department of Wildlife

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HYDROLOGY
Janaranjanwewa has been constructed across a loop of
Mahaweli ganga. The catchment for Mahaweli river at this
location is difficult to measure. Other local catchment areas of
janaranjanawewa and Kalauganga are given below.

04
DEVELOPMENT STRATEGY

PROJECT PROCESS

CONSTRUCTION OF KALU GAGA RESERVOIR HAVING CAPACITY OF

15.85 MCM

AUGMENTATION OF JANARANJANA WEWA FROM CAPACITY 9.07 MCM

TO 14.78 MCM AND IMPROVEMENTS TO HEAD WORKS STRUCTURES

AUGMENTATION OF MINOR TANKS; SINGHE WEWA, SOORIYA WEWA,

KANTHI WEWA, KURUNGUPANCHANKULAM, VELLAN KULAM,
SUNKANTHIKULIKULAM AND PATTIYANTHTHUKULAM AND
DEVELOPMENT OF IRRIGATION INFRASTRUCTURE UNDER THESE
MINOR TANKS

CONSTRUCTION OF FEEDER CHANNELS (30 KM) CONNECTING MINOR

TANKS IN THE CASCADE

IRRIGATION INFRASTRUCTURE DEVELOPMENT OF 3000 ACRES OF

LANDS IN THE THEENNIRAWELI RAIN FED AREA.

OTHER IRRIGATION INFRASTRUCTURE IN THE KANTHALE AND KINNIYA

DS DIVISIONS IN THE TRINCOMALEE

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Project Timeline
THIS SECTION INCLUDES THE IMPLEMENTATION, AND
EXECUTION.

TASK START DATE END DATE

CONSTRUCTION OF KALU
GAGA RESERVOIR JAN 2019 AUG 2022

AUGMENTATION OF
JANARANJANA WEWA JAN 2019 JUN 2021

AUGMENTATION OF MINOR
TANKS AUG 2018 SEP 2020

CONSTRUCTION OF FEEDER
CHANNELS APR 2020 SEPT 2021

IRRIGATION
INFRASTRUCTURE
DEVELOPMENT IN THE
JAN 2020 NOV 2021
THEENNIRAWELI RAIN FED
AREA.

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Budget Breakdown
DESCRIPTION ESTIMATED BUDGET

CONSTRUCTION OF KALU
GAGA RESERVOIR JULY 2020

AUGMENTATION OF
JANARANJANA WEWA SEPTEMBER 2020

AUGMENTATION OF MINOR
TANKS SEPTEMBER 2020

CONSTRUCTION OF FEEDER
CHANNELS SEPTEMBER 2020

IRRIGATION
INFRASTRUCTURE
DEVELOPMENT IN THE
SEPTEMBER 2020
THEENNIRAWELI RAIN FED
AREA.

GRAND TOTAL $ 150,000.00

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BENEFITS OF THE PROJECT
Under irrigation infrastructure development it is
proposed to irrigate 3000 acres of existing and
new irrigable lands in Kantalai and Kinniya DS
Divisions under the Mahaweli Left Bank Lower
Basin Development Project (MLBLBDP). It is
planned to develop 3000 acres of new lands
from the present rain fed irrigation area in
Thinnaraweli for paddy cultivation in Maha
season while only 1700 acres of the same area
can be irrigated during the Yala season for
cultivation of other crops. At the present there is
a shortage of water for 800 acres of land in the
existing systems under minor tanks during Yala
season. This area is given priority to irrigate to
cultivate OFCC during the Yala season and
remaining 1975 acres are selected from the
Thinnaraveli rain fed area to cultivate OFCC. In
addition to providing water for irrigation, this
project has allocated 2 MCM of water for
domestic and industrial needs in DS Divisions of
Kantalai and Kinniya.
In addition to direct benefits, there are other
indirect benefits such as social and
environmental which enhance quality of life and
farmer income. The implementation of the
project especially investments on other
infrastructure shall provide safe water and
sanitation, improved health, education and
marketing facilities. Investment on irrigation
infrastructure development shall provide net
present value of 388.39 Million Rupees at 10%
discount rate, while achieving 11.60% internal
rate of return and 1.42 benefit/cost ratio on the
project investment.

08
Collaborations

THE PROJECT IS FUNDED BY

SAUDHI FUND FOR
DEVELOPMENT (SFD)

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