Colombo, August 21 (Xinhua) — The fourth tunnel of the 27.7-kilometer water diversion tunnel project of the Erehele Canal in Sri Lanka, constructed by China State Construction Engineering Corporation, was successfully completed on the 18th, marking the final sprint stage of the project construction and laying a solid foundation for the completion of the entire line.
The fourth tunnel of the 27.7-kilometer water diversion tunnel project of the Erehele Canal in Sri Lanka, constructed by China State Construction Engineering Corporation, has been successfully completed. (Image provided by China Construction Sri Lanka Branch)
Tunnel 4 is the key difficulty of this project. The tunnel has a total length of 1097 meters, with shallow burial depth and low surrounding rock grade. It is adjacent to residential areas and is surrounded by facilities such as houses, schools, and breeding farms. Since January 2023, the project department has adopted the drilling and blasting method for construction, strengthened safety and environmental management, optimized blasting technology, installed noise reduction facilities, effectively suppressed vibration and noise, obtained a 24-hour blasting construction permit, and effectively improved work efficiency.
This project is a key livelihood project in Sri Lanka. The project mainly includes hard rock excavation construction tunnel section, No. 4 tunnel, and some open cut water channels. The project has created over 1300 local job opportunities and, upon completion, can provide irrigation water for more than 70000 hectares of farmland along the route, as well as domestic water for over 370000 households.