(COLOMBO) – The Sri Lankan authorities are to send a team of geologists to inspect reported cracks on a multi-million-dollar hydro project barely days after it was commissioned jointly by the country’s President Ranil Wickremesinghe and Iranian Head of State Ebrahim Raisi.
Known as the Uma Oya project and based in South Eastern Sri Lanka it was built at a cost of an estimated US$ 514 million that was partly funded by Tehran and was opened to the public on April 24.
The team of geologists has been tasked to inspect the Uma Oya area and document any reported floods or cracks in the region, State Minister of Power and Energy Indika Anuruddha told reporters in the country’s commercial capital of Colombo on Tuesday.
The initial project estimate stood at US$ 529 million. However, over the past nine years, electricity generation linked to the Uma Oya project could not be integrated into the national grid, resulting in the project incurring a loss equivalent to the estimated amount, Minister Anuruddha said.
He also cautioned against misleading media reports suggesting the project caused landslides.
“Some individuals aim to obstruct the project’s progress by highlighting minor post-rain waterfalls. Notably, no confirmed incidents related to the project have occurred.
“The Government assures technical solutions to any identified issues, drawing from global experience in prevention measures. In the past, the country has experienced the loss of various development projects due to sabotage by certain individuals,” he added.
Experts had repeatedly warned of environmental mishaps as work on the project got underway in 2010 but to no avail.
