Sri Lanka completes excavation of South Asia's longest irrigation tunnel

Excavation work on South Asia’s longest irrigation tunnel was completed in Sri Lanka on Wednesday. The 27.7-kilometre tunnel, with China State Construction Engineering Corporation as the main contractor, was dug using two advanced tunnel boring machines that started work simultaneously from opposite ends. The two sections of the tunnel were connected underground on Wednesday, marking a significant engineering milestone that officials described as a successful tunnel breakthrough. The tunnel is part of the nearly 240-kilometre North Central Province Canal Project. The project will improve water distribution across the region by supplying water to 1,505 reservoirs connected to 12 major irrigation systems and 130 cascade networks. At a ceremony marking the completion of the excavation, Sri Lanka’s Deputy Minister of Lands and Irrigation Aravinda Senarath hailed the project’s completion as a pivotal moment in the country’s water resources and irrigation development. He also expressed appreciation to the stakeholders who contributed to the achievement. The project will benefit around 25,000 families and support cultivation on 74,000 hectares of farmland.