Sri Lanka's president (second from left) attends the ground-breaking ceremony of KMTC tunnel in Sri Lanka on July 23. [Photo/POWERCHINA]

Sri Lanka's president announces the ground-breaking of KMTC tunnel in Sri Lanka on July 23. [Photo/POWERCHINA]

Ceremonies marking the ground-breaking of KMTC Tunnel, grid-connection of M Dam and gate closing of K Dam were held in Sri Lanka on July 23, with Sri Lanka's President Maithripala Sirisena, Speaker of Parliament Karu Jayasuriya and multiple media outlets in attendance.

The three projects were all undertaken by Sinohydro Bureau 14 Co, a subsidiary of POWERCHINA.

During the ceremonies, President Maithripala Sirisena recalled the construction process of M and K dams and expressed gratitude for POWERCHINA's contribution on improving locals' life. He also wished that the three projects could bring more benefits to locals.

The M Dam, regarded as the "South-to-North Water Diversion Project" in Sri Lanka, is the country's largest water conservancy project with functions of irrigation, water supply and power generation. The dam will store water resources in rain season for water supply in dry season, and divert water from middle regions to northern areas, which play a key role in easing local power pressure and boosting economic and social development. Starting construction in July 2012, the dam was put into operation in December 2017.

The K Dam, still under construction, is another important large dam in middle Sri Lanka. Upon completion, the dam will provide water resources for M Dam to ensure its electricity generation, as well as improve the irrigation capability of Sri Lanka's middle regions.

The 8.83-kilometer KMTC Tunnel is a supporting project linking the K Dam with the M Dam, which is expected to enhance the water diversion and storage and advance the power generation efficiency.