Sri Lanka reaches out to OPEC Fund for water security project

COLOMBO — Sri Lanka held talks with the OPEC Fund for International Development for 100 million US dollars in assistance for a water security project, said a state minister on Wednesday.

In a social media post, State Minister for Finance Shehan Semasinghe said he discussed the Mahaweli water security investment programme at the Ministry of Finance with Yusuf Al-Mulam, Asia-Pacific regional manager of the OPEC Fund, reports Xinhua news agency.

The programme is currently being implemented under the facility of over 300 million dollars from the Asian Development Bank, and the OPEC Fund has agreed to co-finance another 100 million dollars, according to the minister.

This project, designed to deliver water from the Moragahakanda Reservoir to Hurulu and Mahakandara Reservoirs, is a testament to the success of Sri Lanka’s debt restructuring and reform programme, the minister added.