Start of construction for water tunnel in Sri Lanka

To provide six million people in the northern dry region of Sri Lanka with water and to support the economic development of the country, the government is working on a complex water resources project. At the end of July, the groundbreaking ceremony was held for the construction of two water tunnels. Lahmeyer International in a joint venture with its partner Geoconsult (Austria) prepared the engineering designs and will supervise construction of the project over the next three years. The fact that the President of Sri Lanka, Maithripala Sirisena, alongside officials of the Mahaweli Authority of Sri Lanka, attended the ceremony is proof of the high significance of the USD 50 million project.

The two tunnels of the Kalu Ganga - Moragahakanda Transfer Canal (KMTC) will have a diameter of 5 m and connect the two large reservoirs of the same name over a total distance of 8 km. They are only two out of a total of nine tunnels that Lahmeyer has engineered for the Mahaweli Water Security Investment Program (MWSIP). The largest tunnel will be over 26 km long with a diameter of 8 m to be built by TBM starting next year.

Experienced planning and supervision

The MWSIP is a massive development program being implemented with over USD 2 billion of financial support from the Asian Development Bank. It is being carried out by the Sri Lankan Ministry for Mahaweli Development and Environment and includes the construction of 260 km of canals and tunnels, dams and irrigation systems to transfer 1 billion cubic meters of water annually from the Mahaweli River Basin.

Lahmeyer International is the Program Management, Design, and Supervision Consultant (PMDSC) with responsibilities for overall tender design and construction supervision of the MWSIP. In addition to these engineering responsibilities, our joint venture performs core tasks related to simulation modelling, environmental and social safeguards, strategic communications, training and capacity building.

The Company – Engineering solutions for a sustainable future

Tractebel
With about 4,500 staff around the world, Tractebel is one of the leading specialized engineering companies worldwide. The company is located in Brussels. It develops and implements engineering and consultancy solutions as well as innovations for energy, water and urban infrastructure for the public and the private sector. With more than 150 years of experience and a global presence, Tractebel offers its clients added value throughout the complete project cycle. Tractebel is a company of the French multinational electric utility company ENGIE with headquarters in Paris (France).

Lahmeyer
Since December 2014, Lahmeyer belongs to Tractebel, and thus is part of the ENGIE Group. As an international company of consulting engineers, Lahmeyer offers a wide range of planning and consultancy services. The main fields of activity are complex infrastructure projects in the Energy, Hydropower and Water Resources Sectors as well as in Building and Transportation. With origins dating back to 1890, the company has grown into one of the leading international companies with project experience in 165 countries.

Tractebel with head office in Brussels (Belgium) and its subsidiary company Lahmeyer with head office in Bad Vilbel near Frankfurt (Germany) cooperate on many international projects and keep growing closer as one company.

Lahmeyer International GmbH

Ralf kleine Brörmann
Manager Marketing Communications
Friedberger Straße 173
D-61118 Bad Vilbel

Tel: +49 6101 55 1714
Fax: +49 6101 55 1785
ralf.kleinebroermann@de.lahmeyer.com

This release was published on openPR.