Industrial Visit To

Moragahakanda-Kaluganga
Development Project

K.P.H.S Kalahe
ENG/13/006
Intake 30
Department of Civil Engineering
Date of Submission: 5th May 2016

Contents
General.......................................................................................................................................3
Location......................................................................................................................................4
Basic features.............................................................................................................................4
Objectives...................................................................................................................................5
Geology......................................................................................................................................5
Cost Estimates............................................................................................................................6
Benefits......................................................................................................................................7
Agriculture..............................................................................................................................7
Inland fishery..........................................................................................................................7
Potable and industrial water supply........................................................................................7
Power generation....................................................................................................................7
Grouting process and the compaction process of the rock filled dam and the surfing process. 8
Environmental management plan:............................................................................................13

Moragahakanda Kaluganga Development Project

General
Moragahakanda-Kaluganga Development Project is the biggest multi-functional irrigation
project under the Mahaweli River Development Program. From this project two reservoirs
will be built up namely Moragahakanda reservoir and Kaluganga reservoir. Branches of
Mahaweli River will be used for this construction works. Amban Ganga, the largest left bank
tributary of the Mahaweli Ganga to build the Moragahakanda reservoir and Kaluganga will
be built using the Kaluganga in Lakgala area. It was launched to provide a domestic and
industrial water supply to Anuradhapura, Trincomalee, and Polonnaruwa and Matale districts
for the development of agriculture in the North, East, and Northwestern provinces.

The Moragahakanda reservoir created by the dam is intended for the storage and regulation of
the flow from the Amban Ganga catchment, supplemented by the Mahaweli flow diverted at
Polgolla for irrigation and hydro power development. In the first instance, there reservoir
will regulate the water issues to 73,200 acres of existing irrigated fields and 20,000 acres of
new fields in systems . In addition it will provide water for the development under irrigation
37,100 acres of new lands.
The main components of the project are construction of a 67m high dam across Kalu Ganga
River at Pallegamuwa, a 13 km long transfer canal including a 3km tunnel to transfer water

from proposed Kalu Ganga reservoir to proposed Moragahakanda Reservoir and a 7km long
tunnel from Bowatenna Reservoir to Lenadora, upgrading of the existing 33km long
Huruluwewa canal and extension of Yan Oya Canal with a total length of 4.4km and Eru
wewa with a total length of 7km.

Location
The dam is located across the Amaban Ganga about 30 miles above the river mouth, and
about mile upstream of the existing Elahera anicut and about 10 miles below the
Bowatenna reservoir which was recently constructed under Project I. The dam site is
accessible from Colombo, about 110 miles along existing macadamized roads and 20 miles
from Dambulla, which is the nearest town. The dam is situated near the tenth mile of the
Naula- Pallegama road, the nearest railway stations are Kekirawa. About 34 miles away and
Matale about 27 miles away.

Basic features
The total catchment area of the river up to the dam is 315sq. miles, Upstream of the damsite
is in the Bowatenna reservoir, into which the water diverted from the Mahaweli Ganga at
Polgolla flows and from which a part of it is diverted into the Kala Oya basin. The mean
annual run off at the dam site is 720 thousand ac. ft. from its own catchment.

Objectives
The Amban Ganga is a major tributary of the Mahaweli Ganga, originating in the Northern
slopes of the Hunnasgiriya mountain range. It flows generally in a North-Eastern course to
join the main river near Gallella in Polonnaruwa district. The Kalu Ganga is a major right
bank tributary of the Amban Ganga, which rises in the Northern slopes of the catchment
divide between Amban Ganga and Mahaweli Ganga. This tributary is the major source of
water between Moragahakanda and Angamedilla. It joins the Amban Ganga about 14 km
downstream of Elahera.
The Moragahakanda component of the project comprises a dam and appurtenant works at a
site on the Amban Ganga, about two kilometers upstream of the existing Elahera anicut. The
Pallegama dam in Kalu Ganga component of the project located at 1.4 km upstream of the
existing Hattota Amuna anicut. The overall aim of the project was to improve the standard of
living and quality of life of those affected, whether farmers or consumers, with acceptable
mitigation of any negative impacts which project implementation may bring about.

The other features are: improved availability of irrigation water within Systems and areas
either side of HFC to enable increase of cropping intensities, and therefore, the standard of
living of farmers in the area, to be raised; increased supply of water to Anuradhapura for
domestic and industrial use; improved availability of irrigation water within Systems, with
similar aims to those in system H; provision of additional water to the Trincomalee industrial
area; possible generation of hydroelectric energy and power extension of the existing
irrigation areas in the Kalu Ganga basin, increased water supplies to the Manankattiya
irrigation area on the Maminiya Oya and the rehabilitation of the existing link canal from the
downstream Eruwewa tank to Mahakanadarawa tank north-east of Anuradhapura

Geology
Geologic structure and the engineering conditions at the Moragahakanda dam site are of
considerable diversity and complexity. Loosely fragmented sediments are found everywhere
on the surface, to depths of as much as 34ft. and are notable for their high water permeability.

Underlying these are metamorphic rocks [quartzitic and quartz biotitic. Gneisses and
granulites] forming an anticline with the axis. Normal to the center line of the proposed dam.
Results of exploratory drilling indicated two fault zones [45 -95 feet] represented by highly
weathered broken and highly fractured gneisses, Granulities. Quartzites and Karstic
cavernous limestone. These rocks are generally characterized by specific water absorption of
more than 50 gallons per minute, under pressures of 100 1b, per sq. inch Partly to slightly
weathered and fractured rock occur at depths of 8 46 feet in the fault zone [60 100 feet
from the ground surface]; thickness of deposit varies between 3 8 and 20 35 feet
respectively. Ultimate strength of these rocks ranges from 5,500 8,500 to 14,000 21,000
1b/m2. The fractures will require careful washing and grouting.

Cost Estimates
The project includes three phases. The total estimated cost of phase I of the project is USD
167 million. The estimated cost of the Kalu Ganaga Dam which is the main construction
component of the project erected at Pallegama with a height of 67m and length of 546m and
two saddle dams is USD 102.2 million. Of this amount USD 37 million is provided by the
Kuwait fund for Arab Economic Development. Of the balance USD 46 million and USD 19.0
million will be provided by the Saudi Fund for Development and the OPEC fund for
International Development respectively.
The estimated cost of construction of the hydro unit is Rs.560 million of which the foreign
component is Rs. 270 million. The allocation of construction cost is Rs. 365 million for
irrigation and Rs. 195 million for power. The major items of work necessary to be done are
Excavation in foundation earth

1,030,000 cu.yd

Excavation in foundation rock

698,000 cu.yd

Quantity of concrete

552,000 cu.yd

Quantity of rock fill

975,000 cu.yd

Quantity of earth fill

1,120,000 cu.yd

Quantity of cement

91,500 cu.yd

Quantity of steel

750 Tons

Benefits
Agriculture
Cropping intensity which varies from 100 to 154 percent in these areas will be raised to
around 181 percent on the average. The direct benefits include increased rice yield per
hectare with an additional agricultural production of 109,000 tons annually. The net annual
agricultural benefit will be US$ 27.7 million in financial terms.

Inland fishery
The average annual fish production potential of the reservoir is estimated to be around 4,700
tons, representing a net benefit of US$ 1.67 million annually.
Potable and industrial water supply
An increased supply of 64 MCM (by 2032) could be ensured towards meeting the potable
and industrial water needs in the district of Matale, Anuradhapura, Trincomalee and
Polonnaruwa from the surface water sources in the Amban Ganga basin and its associated
tanks and canals with the implementation of the project.

Power generation
Annual fuel cost savings with the hydropower produced will be around US$ 2.49 billion
annual average. The hydro electric station at the base of the concrete dam,
will be furnished with 4 generators of 10MW capacity each. The firm
power production is estimated at 17.2 MW and the firm

Principal project features The Moragahakanda reservoir project

The Moragahakanda reservoir will comprise a roller compacted concrete main dam and
two rock filled saddle dams which is have a maximum of 65 meters and an active storage of
521 million cubic meters. The project will also have an extension of the upper LB Branch
canal of the Kaudulla scheme irrigation system D1 the envisaged host area for persons
displaced by the project numbering 1148 households in the reservoir bed, a complete
compensation and resettlement package for the displaced and an accompanying
Environmental Management Acton Plan.

1. MAIN DAM- ROCK FILL WITH CORE

CROSS SECTION OF THE MAIN DAM ROCK FILL WITH CORE

Grouting process and the compaction process of the rock filled

dam and the surfing process
Coffer dam was built at the reservoir site to prevent the flood effect. And the main clay core
is to prevent the penetration of water through the dam as it act as an impervious layer. And
mainly two filters were provided to pass water through the dam and they act as the drainage
paths. The construction of the clay core is very important.

The rock under the construction of the clay core is first grouted by the cement paste which
the cement grout is pressured through the cracks in the rock. It prevents the water to leak
through the rock. Before this process surfing must be done to make sure that the pressured
grouting part is not coming to the surface along the rock cracks to immerge in the other part
of the rock surface. Surfing process provide a barrier to the grouting to prevent the leaking of
the grouting at the rock surface.

2. SADDLE DAM 1 ROLLER COMPACTED CONCRETE (RCC)

The other main construction process is the construction of the saddle dam no: 1. It is
constructed with the roller compacted concrete which has zero slump which is just like the
solid paste which has less liquid proportion. It is mainly transported to the site by the trucks.
In this saddle dam construction, the roller compacted concrete is placed in to 15 layers. In
the placing of the one layer it lay up to 6 m and it should be immediately consolidated.
Before it sets the concrete the other layer should lay on that. If it is taking considerable
amount of time to lay the other concrete layer, the cement mortar should applied before the
roller compacted concrete is applied. A tunnel was constructed near to the saddle dam 1 to
search the cracked areas in the rock and the cracks possibility area near to the dam
construction site. The share key and the curtain grouting was provided to the saddle dam. The
main purpose of the curtain grouting is to prevent the seepage occurring from the reservoir
side. It is mainly build up to 40m depth from the base of the saddle dam. Shear key place an

important role in the dam construction which is govern the slope stability in the dam.
Constructing of a shear key provides the considerable failure length which avoid the shear
failure in the dam.

Inside the dam, the tunnel was constructed for the inspection purposes and to install the
grouting in to the rock. Curtain grouting is the construction of a curtain or barrier of grout by
drilling and grouting a linear sequence of holes for the purpose of reducing permeability. It
may cross a valley as a vertical or an inclined seepage cut-off under a dam; it may be circular
around a shaft or other deep excavation; or it may be nearly horizontal to form an umbrella of
grout over an underground installation. A grout curtain may be made up of a single row of
holes, or it may be composed of two or more parallel rows.

And it is consisted with power house which has four turbines capacities having 5 and 7.5.
And it has four main drainage paths which are connected to the filters and to the main
reservoir. Total install capacity is the 25MW.

3. SADDLE DAM 2 HOMOGENEOUS EARTH FILL

Saddle
dam 2 has a crest
width of 7m,
crest length of

275m and has a maximum height of 21.5m.

These type of embankments are made of a single type of material or material from the same
source. This may be small particles placed by hydraulic means, or compacted earth or gravels
that are handled and compacted mechanically.

Basic properties required in the material for a homogeneous embankment or for the core of a
rock fill dam are:

It must be sufficiently impervious to prevent excessive loss of water through the dam,
the acceptable loss being determined by the safety of the structure and the value of the

lost water;
It must be capable of being placed and consolidated to give a practically
homogeneous mass, free from potential paths of percolation, either through the fill or

along its contact with the foundation;

The soil should develop a maximum practical shear strength under compaction and

maintain most of it after the filling of the reservoir;

It must not consolidate, soften or liquefy upon saturation.

The stability of an embankment dam is enhanced if the downstream portion can be

maintained free from seepage.

The Kalu Ganga reservoir

The Kalu Ganga will be a rock filled main dam with two saddle dams. One will be rock filled
and the other, an earth filled where the maximum height will be 67 meters. The active storage
system will be 144 million cubic meters where the conveyance system will be through a 3.2
meter tunnel which has a capacity of 15 cubic meters per second from Kalu Ganga to
Moragahakanda and a second tunnel from Bowatenne which is 7.2 kilometres long and which
has a capacity of 25 meters per second and the conveyance canals will be around 50
kilometres. This tunnel will also be with the upgrading of the Huruluwewa feeder canal
between the Yan Oya and the Malwathu basin and a link canal between the Eru Wewa
and Mahakanadarawa Wewa. This will also include the resettlement plan for the 458
displaced families and the same environmental plan

Environmental management plan:

The following constitute the environmental management action plan that has been proposed
as part of the project:

Reforestation of about 2,000 Ha in the Amban Ganga Basin

Clearing of elephant corridor between Giritale and Minneriya nature reserve

Habitat enrichment in proposed corridor between Wasgamuwa National Park and

VictoriaRandenigalaRantambe Sanctuary

Research and development in the proposed corridor

Establishment of a 100 m wide reservation around the reservoirs

Rehabilitation of tanks in adjacent nature reserves

Establishment of electric elephant fence around the resettlement area