Moragahakanda dam leakage; don’t panic, say engineers

Referring to the leakage, which had occurred in the main dam of the Moragahakanda reservoir, Project Engineer P.B. Wijerathna asked the general public not to panic over the situation.

“There is no impact on the people living downstream due to the current situation. There have been similar leakages reported from other dams in the country as well, like in the Victoria dam,” Wijerathna said.

He said the leakage had occurred after the water level reached its maximum level. “It is not something new that a leakage occurs when the water level reaches its maximum capacity,” he added.

It was reported that the leakage had appeared at a point on the upper part of the dam with water levels of the reservoir reaching maximum capacity.

This situation had been detected by workers of the site, who had subsequently informed the relevant officials.

Water has been leaking continuously for the past several days from this point and the Chinese engineers are engaged in taking necessary measures to stop the leakage. (Indika Aruna Kumara)