Mr. Kanchana Wijesekera, the Minister of Power and Energy, has warned that with the decision to release water from Samanalawewa Reservoir to Udawalawa Reservoir, the functioning of the Samanalawewa Hydroelectric Power Plant is likely to come to a complete halt by August 16.
Speaking in Parliament this morning (August 08), Wijesekera explained that electricity must be purchased to ensure continuous supply from August 15.
He mentioned that a request was made in this regard and a similar request was approved in March this year.
However, if the request to purchase electricity is not approved, the minister warned that there will be a three-hour power cut in several areas including Matara, Galle, Ratnapura and Hambantota.
“We will need to implement a daily three-hour power cut, one hour during the day and two hours during the night, or at once,” he said in this regard.
Meanwhile, with the Cabinet of Ministers giving the green light to the proposal made by Minister Kanchana Wijesekera on Monday (August 07) to release the maximum amount of water from Samanalawewa Reservoir to Udawalawa, the concerned authorities have started releasing water from Samanalawewa Reservoir to Udawalawa Reservoir today.
According to Minister of State for Power and Energy D.V. Chanaka, water will be released for three days at the rate of 3.5 million cubic meters per day.
The announcement regarding the approval of the Cabinet regarding the release of water from Samanala Lake Reservoir for farming is as follows.
The Minister of Electricity and Power drew the attention of the Cabinet of Ministers to the options that can be followed in regard to the resolution furnished for releasing water from the Samanalawewa reservoir as an option due to having no sufficient water for the agricultural crops of the farmers engaged in cultivation under the Udawalawa reservoir. Subsequent to holding extended discussions in regard to the said options, the Cabinet of Ministers granted approval to release the maximum possible amount of water from the remaining at the Samanalawewa reservoir for agricultural purposes and to purchase electricity from the private sector as a remedy to the issue erupted from power/electricity generation as required.
Below is the statement made by Minister of Electricity Kanchana Wijesekera in Parliament.