Iranian President Ebrahim Raisi inaugurated the Uma Oya Multipurpose Development Project (UOMDP) in Sri Lanka’s southeastern region, costing $540 million. The project, partly funded by Iran, faced delays due to international sanctions on Iran. This marks the first visit by an Iranian president to Sri Lanka since 2008.
The UOMDP project, implemented by the Farab Energy and Water Projects (Farab Company) of Iran, received an initial funding of $51 million from Iran in April 2008. However, due to international sanctions imposed on Iran in 2013, Tehran was unable to continue funding the project. Sri Lanka proceeded with the project using government funds while maintaining the same contractor.
During the inauguration, Raisi expressed Iran’s commitment to supporting projects like the UOMDP to strengthen ties between the two countries. He praised the efforts of Iranian engineers who contributed to the project’s success.
Sri Lankan President Ranil Wickremesinghe thanked Iran for its technical support and highlighted the joint progress between the two countries as members of the Global South. The UOMDP project is expected to add 290 GWh to the national grid, supply water to 4,500 hectares of new agricultural land, and meet the drinking water needs of thousands of families in Badulla, Monaragala, and Hambantota districts.
