4.1 Electricity
4.2 Roads
4.3 Transport
4.4 Ports
4.5 Water Supply and Sanitation
4.6 Rural Infrastructure Development
4.1 Electricity
Situation
In 2006, 77 percent of households in the country had access to electricity from the national grid while 3 percent of population was served by off grid facilities. However the number of households who have electricity varies from province to province owing to population density, economic development, and level of income of the people in each province. In the Eastern Province the main source of electricity supply is the national grid as in other provinces. Accessibility to electricity in the province is low compared with the other Provinces except the Northern Province. The following table shows the availability of electricity in the Eastern Province.
Table 4.1 Availability of Electricity
Most of the areas in the Eastern Province have no electricity supply. With the commencement of development activities in the area demand for electricity will increase rapidly. Availability of electricity is therefore important for future development activities.
Key Issues
- Low electrification level
The electrification level in Batticoloa and Trincomalee is far behind the national level as shown in Table 3:1. This is one of the bottlenecks for development in the Eastern Province.
- Low coverage area
Electrification in the province is confined mainly to the coastal belt because commercial activities and urbanization are concentrated along the coastal areas. Hence, availability of electricity in the interior areas is very poor.
- Low voltage, frequent interruption and high system losses
This province has one power generation plant in Inginiyagala. The capacity of this plant is 11.25MW. Power generation in the province is not sufficient to meet the demand of people in the area. Therefore, excess demand is met from power plants in other areas. For this, long distance transmission lines are used. Most of these transmission lines and grid substations are old and overloaded resulting in increase in interruptions and in system losses.
- Build up confidence in availability of electricity by providing an uninterrupted and quality electricity supply.
- Increase the level of electrified households from 58 percent to 70 percent by2010.
- Promote renewable energy based electricity to supply electricity for people who have no access to the national grid.
- Increase the power generation capacity in the province by promoting the construction of new power plants in the area.
- Give priority to the supply of electricity to the villages identified for development under the Gama Neguma Programme.
- Outdated and overloaded transmission lines and grid substations are to be rehabilitated and replaced.
Many areas in the Eastern Province can be categorized as poorly developed areas. The expansion of economic activities has been minimal during the last several years due to the present security situation. The government has begun resettlement of affected people. With the commencement of new development activities the demand for electricity will increase. In order to meet this demand, the improvement of existing transmission lines, distribution lines and grid substations is required.
On-going Projects
Table 4.2 outlines detailed information of the on-going rural electrification projects, including funding sources, number of schemes, number of beneficiaries and progress to-date.
Table 4.2 On-going electrification projects in Eastern Province
to be completed in 2007
New Projects – Transmission Development
1. Construction of Ampara -Rantambe 132kv,2 circuit transmission line (2009)
- Construction of Ampara-Rantembe 132 kV transmission line (2cct, 130 km, Zebra)
- Construction of 2x132 kV Single Bus Bar Transmission Line (TL) bays at Ampara Grid Substation.
- Construction of 2x132 kV D/B (Double Bus Bar) TL bays at Rantembe Power Station (PS)
- Construction of 1x31.5 MVA, 132/33 kV single busbar grid substation at Polonnaruwa with 2 Nos. of 132 kV line bays and 4 Nos. of 33 kV feeder bays
- Single in-and-out connection of 0.5km, Lynx, from Habarana-Valachchenai 132kV 2cct transmission line
- Stringing of 2nd circuit of Kotmale-New Anuradhapura 163 km, Zebra,220 kV transmission line
- Construction of 2x31.5 MVA, 132/33 kV single busbar grid substation at Padirippu with 2 Nos. of 132 kV line bays and 8 Nos. of 33 kV 2cct Zebra transmission line
- Construction of Ampara-Padirippu 35 km 132 kV 2cct Zebra transmission line
- Construction of two S/B transmission line bays at Ampara Grid Substation
- Construction of 1x31.5 MVA 132/33 kV single busbar (S/B) grid substation at Medagama with 4 No. of 33 kV feeder bays
- Construction of 2 No. 132 kV S/B line bay at Medagama Grid Substation.
- Single in and out connection (0.1 km 2cct Zebra) to Medagama GS from Rantembe-Ampara 132 kV 2cct transmission line
- Construction of new Habarana switching station.
- Construction of Trincomalee power station switchyard.
- Construction of Veyangoda grid substation.
- Construction of Trincomalee – Habarana Transmission line.
- Construction of New Habarana- Veyangoda Transmission Line.
- Construction of Kiridiwela switching station.
- Augmentation of Ampara grid substation.
- Construction of Rantembe – Sampur Transmission line
9. Augmentation of Habarana grid substation
10. Construction of Paddirippu- Valachchani 132 Kv Transmission Line
11. Augmentation of Trincomalee grid substation.
New Projects – Generation
12. Trincomalee Coal fired Power Plant Phase 1 (500 MW)
- Construction of a 500MW power plant
- Construction of Coal Handling Terminal
- Infrastructure development in the project area
13. Medium Voltage Development & Low Voltage Development Programmes
- Construction of 33KM New Lynx SC Pole line on 11M Pole from Weeragoda Gantry (Ampara) upto Kaluwanchikudiyiruppu (Batticaloa) and a SBB Gantry with 3Nos. Of Auto Reclosers at Kaluwanchikudiyiruppu
- Construction of 27km New Lynx SC Backbone Tower line from Galmadu junction Gantry to Akkaraipattu with DBB Gantry with 3Nos. Of AutoReclosers at Akkaraipattu
- Construction of 20km New LynxSC Backbone Tower line from Galmadu Junction Gantry up to Inginiyagala and a SBB Gantry with 3Nos. Of AutoReclosers at Inginiyagala
- Reconductoring of Ampara Mahaoya feeder from ACSR7/161 to LynxSC from Ampara GSS to Ampara Primary-I (4km)
- Ampara town area all CU 11kV line conductors to be replaced by RacoonSC (18 km)
- Construction of 9.5km SC Racoon Pole line on 11M poles from Kivulukadawela to Kallanpattai
- Construction of new 35kM SC Racoon 11M Pole line from Alasgarden to Divullewa along the Trincomalee -Korawapothana road with 1No. Of Auto Reclosure at Alasgarden
- Construction of 3km Racoon MV line on 11M Pole from 37th Ela bund to 35th Colony
- Medium Voltage line for improving low voltage problems -12 components ( Funded by the conflict affected area rehabilitation project)
- 56 Rural electrification schemes under Jathika Saviya Programme
- 231 Rural electrification schemes under Gamaneguma Programmme
- RE Schemes from Verugal to Mankerney (Under the existing/approved HT line): Mavadiodai village, Kandalady village, Ammanthavely, Palchenai, Kathiravelly and Verugal villages
- Construction of new 16kM 33kV SC Racoon 11M Pole line from Thandiyadi to Aryiththiyamalai with following RE schemes;Palaikkadu Village, Karadippooval Village, Mullamunai Village, Aryiththiyamalai Village
- Medium voltage and low voltage net work development in rural areas affected by tsunami.
The Investment Plan for electricity in the Eastern Province is outlined in Table 4.3.
Table 4.3 Investment Plan for Electricity Development in the Eastern Province
4.2 Road Sector
Situation
The road network in the Eastern Province consists of national highways (857 km), provincial roads (1099 km.), and rural and feeder roads (8450 km). The government provides required funds for rehabilitation and maintenance of these roads. The Road Development Authority is responsible for improvement and maintenance of national highways. The Provincial Council is responsible for the rehabilitation and maintenance of other roads.
Table 4.4 Present Road Network by Districts – Eastern Province
The density of national road in the Eastern Province is 0.11 km/sq. km. The road network within the Eastern Province is one of the poorest in the country. Moreover, a substantial portion of coastal roads were badly affected by the Tsunami in 2004. 17.5 km. of roads have been rehabilitated in 2007 and Komari, Periyakallar and Koddiakallar causeways were completed under the Japan Grant Aid. The financial allocation for the road sector in Eastern province is around Rs. 8 billion in 2007 (excluding expressway projects). It contributes 22 % out of other provinces.
Key issues
- Poor accessibility and mobility inter province and intra province due to the poor connectivity within and to other provinces.
- Insufficient road maintenance of a large part of the road network for a long period.
- Increase in travel time and operational cost due to shortage of transport services.
- Delayed road rehabilitation and improvement work.
- Poor contribution to the economy due to not having a proper infrastructure facility.
- Improve connectivity between production places and market places.
- Improve linkages with the other provinces.
- Increase producer surplus by reducing transport cost.
- Open backward areas for economic development.
- Reduce poverty.
- Rehabilitate and improve the existing road network to meet increasing demand.
- Promote the economic development of the Eastern Province to improve the quality of life of the people.
- Improve the quality of roads by using cost effective innovative techniques.
On-Going and Committed Projects
There are 17 on-going and firmly committed national road projects (Table 4.5), 7 on-going and firmly committed bridges projects (table 4.6) and on-going and firmly committed provincial and rural roads (4.7).
Table 4.5 On-going and committed National Roads Projects
Table 4.6 On going and Committed Bridge Projects
Table 4.7 On going Provincial and Rural Roads
Map 4.2 – Ongoing and Committed Road Projects
Map 4.3 – On-going and committed bridges.
New Proposed Road and Bridge projects
Table 4.8 summarises the new proposed projects for road and bridge improvement in the Eastern Province together with their corresponding investment requirements for the years 2007 -2010.
Table 4.8 Proposed National Road and Bridge Projects
Table 4.9 -- Proposed Provincial Roads – 2008 to 2010
Table 4.10 – Investment Programme for Provincial Roads – Proposed New Projects
Table 4.11 Summary of Investment Plan on Road Sector : 2007 – 2010
4.3 Transport sector
Transport is a vital component of infrastructure in any economy. The level of economic growth necessarily depends upon the extent of availability of transport and the efficiency of the transport system. Available transport infrastructure in the Eastern Province is road, railway, and ports.
4.3.1 Road Transport
Situation
Road transport plays a vital role in passenger and freight transport in the Eastern Province. The private sector and the government owned Corporation are involved in operation of bus services. The private sector has the lion’s share of passenger transport. Contribution of state bus services is also important because they operate buses in rural areas.
Table 4.12 Number of SLCTB and Private Buses
Key Issues
Key issues in the Bus Transport sector include:
- Inadequate supply of bus services due to shortage of public and private buses.
- Lack of night time and early morning bus services in many parts of the Province.
- Frequent cancellation and stoppage of bus services caused by the poor condition of the road network.
Buses being the main mode of transport in the Province, following strategy is suggested for the development of the sector:
- The bus fleet should be strengthened.
- The state sector should play a leading role in the strengthening of the fleet.
- Bus facilities including terminals in towns should be constructed to facilitate bus services.
Table 4.13 Proposed Projects for Development of Bus Transport in the
Eastern Province
4.3.2 Rail Transport
Background Situation
Out of the three Districts in the Eastern Province, Ampara District is not served by rail. The total railway network in the country is 1449 km. of which 281 km. of rail line (Batticaloa line, Maho to Batticaloa – 211 km. & Trincomalee line, Galoya Junction to Trincomalee – 70 km.), in the Eastern Province. Railway is not a very popular mode of transport in the Province. Poor and unreliable services are the reason for the poor demand for railway. Potential for development of the railway is very high. For instance, the markets for the production of two large factories ie cement, and flour in Trincomalee is in other provinces. Further, the Eastern Province produces surplus agricultural products. Markets for these products are in outside the province. With the commencement of economic development activities passenger demand will also increase.
Table 4.14 Railway Transport
Key issues
Key issues with regard to railway transport in the Eastern Province include:
- The railway track has not been rehabilitated for a long period. Hence special restrictions have been introduced. For instance, 31% of the track is under speed restrictions.
- The Signaling and Communication system in the Eastern Province are outdated. There are frequent failures of signaling and radio communication system.
- The number of trains operated per day has been reduced due to shortage of rolling stock.
It is necessary to strengthen the track and improve signal and passing facilities to improve travel times and reliability. Connections to the Trincomalee harbor and the airport will be an added advantage.
Strategy
- Give priority to rehabilitate and improve the existing infrastructure.
- Increase the number of trains (long distance and domestic trains) operated per day considering passenger demand.
- For the provision of better transport services, strengthen, coordination between Railway and bus services.
It is necessary to strengthen the track and improve signal and passing facilities to improve travel times and reliability. Connections to the Trincomalee harbor and the airport will be an added advantage.
Table 4.15 Investment for proposed projects
4.4 Ports Sector
Situation
As a mode of transport, the contribution of the port sector to freight transport in the Eastern province is minimal. There are two ports: Trincomalee and Oluvil. At present, Trincomalee port operates day to day activities in the Eastern Province. It serves mainly regional trade. This port has storage facilities for cement, fertilizer, rice, tea and food cargo. Further, it has storage facilities for fuel. In 2006, at Trincomalee port the number of ships arrivals increased by 46.9% to 141 (number of ships). The total cargo handling increased by 17.7% to 2,498 (metric tons in thousand) in 2006.
Strategies
- Develop Trincomalee harbour as a public- private partnership project.
- Develop Trincomalee Port as a ‘port city’ to provide facilities and other marine services.
- Develop Oluvil Port as a port in the region to provide the South Eastern link in the developing chain of coastal parts in the country.
Investment Plan
Table 4.16 Investment Plan for Port Development in the Eastern Province
4.5 Water Supply and Sanitation Sector
Situation
Water is an essential ingredient for life and no living creature can survive without it. The Provision of safe drinking water and access to sanitation are also fundamental elements of economic and social development in a country. Drinking water and sanitation facilities in rural areas in the province are poor.
Table 4.17 Access to Safe Water and Sanitation
Key issues
The existing water supply schemes do not cater to the present demand in the Eastern Province. Demand for water is increasing due to growing economic activities. The poor quality of water in many areas causes water borne diseases. Absence of basic amenities has resulted in poor health conditions and aggravated poverty. Therefore, it is needed to implement new water supply schemes in order to provide safe drinking water facilities.
Objectives
- Increase access to pipe borne water from 17.9% in 2006 to 35.4% of population in the Eastern Province by 2010.
- Increase access to safe drinking water from 76.8% in 2006 to 85% of population in the Eastern Province by 2010.
- Increase access to sanitation from 53.5 % in 2006 to 71.3% of population in the Eastern Province by 2010.
Strategies
- Develop pipe borne water infrastructure.
- Construct Tube wells and dug wells .
- Implement rain water catchments systems.
- Encourage community based water supply schemes.
Table 4.19 Projects and Investment Plan for Water and Sanitation
4.6 Rural Infrastructure Development
Jathika Saviya / Gama Neguma
This is an island-wide programme aimed at developing 4000 rural remote villages in order to reduce the sharp regional disparities in development. In selecting the villages for this programme, severity of poverty incidence and food insecurity are used as basic criteria. Improvement of village level infrastructure and synergizing the on-going rural development projects at local level are the major components of this programme. Community participation and decentralization of decision making power can be viewed as major elements.
In the Eastern Province 162 Grama Niladari (GN) Divisions have already been identified for this programme. Of them, 10 GN Divisions are in the Trincomalee District. 37 and 115 GN Divisions have been earmarked for the Districts of Batticaloa and Ampara respectively.
Decentralized Budget (DCB)
Under the DCB Programme Rs. 500,000 is allocated to each Member of Parliament to implement small scale economic and social infrastructure projects in their electorates. All such projects should be approved by the District Development Committee chaired by a senior politician in the area. The District Secretary is the accounting officer for the DCB Programme. Annually Rs 110 mn is allocated for the DCB programme in the Eastern Province under the Ministry of Nation Building and Estate Infrastructure Development.
Gam Pubuduwa
The objective of this programme is to improve rural infrastructure facilities with community participation to create a favourable economic environment in rural areas. The programme is implemented throughout the country under the supervision of the Ministry of Nation Building and Estate Infrastructure Development. Investments under this programme are given in Table 3.16
Gami Aruna
The Gami Aruna initiated by the Finance Commission is a special village development programme focussing on villages which are marginalized and very poverty stricken. The objectives of this programme include meeting the basic human needs, catalyzing the poor to enter into the mainstream of development and reducing dependency on public assistance of the poor communities in selected lagging villages. Being a gap filling strategy, the Gami Aruna is to upgrade the living standards of the poor people in marginalized villages through strategies characterized by creation of assets, development of skills, improvement of physical resources, dissemination of suitable technologies, facilitating market linkages and institutional building. Under this programme, each Divisional Secretary Division is provided an allocation worth Rs. 5 mn. and projects at village level are developed through consultation with targeted families. Financial Requirements for this Programme are given in Table 3.17.
Rural Market Development
Development of rural markets is one of the major strategies in the development of the Eastern Province economy. The rural market development will be of immense value to the farmers, micro and small scale producers and the self employed in rural areas for selling their products. This programme will be complementary to the initiatives of the Provincial Council and Local Authorities to develop small and micro enterprises and self-employment projects. These rural markets are expected to create links for rural enterprises with urban and peri - urban markets. These links have largely deteriorated for the past few decades due to the conflict situation prevailing in the area. In this context, development of rural markets will stimulate regional economic growth and also contribute to employment generation in productive sectors.
The programme of developing rural markets includes mainly construction of new markets in appropriate places, upgrading the existing rural markets, and rehabilitation of rural weekly fairs. Table 3.18 gives the investments to be made on improvement of rural markets by the Provincial Council.
Investment Plan
Table 4.20 shows the District-wise Investment Programme for Rural Infrastructure under the above programmes.
Table 4.20 Rural Infrastructure Investment Plan
next page Social Infrastructure
- Resettlement of IDPs
- Productive Sectors
- Economic Infrastructure
- Social Infrastructure
- Human Settlements
- Public Institutions
- Investment Plan
