Horagalmodorara, a remote village located high in the hills of the Sinharaja rainforest will experience the benefits of electricity in their households for the first time in May this year.

Treasurer of the Petiyakanda Multipurpose Village Development Organisation Mr Sunil Gunapala starts work on a micro-hydro power generation and distribution centre, which will provide hydroelectricity to his village.

On Thursday, 30 November, local village members and Mr Ajith Tennakoon, Sewalanka Field Director for the South launched the Horagalmodorara Village Hydro Project.

The project will see community members from the Horagalmodorara village establish their own micro-hydro power generation and distribution system at Petiyakanda, Kudawa, a village in the buffer zone of the Sinharaja Rainforest.

The generation and distribution centre will initially provide 20 households with electricity. If successful the operation will be further expanded to cater for additional households in surrounding villages.

Funded by the World Bank and facilitated by Sewalanka Foundation, the project will be implemented, managed and owned by the village members through their community-based organisation, the Petiyakanda Multipurpose Village Development Organisation (PMVDO).

Mr Tennakoon said that it is inspiring to work with village members who have such a strong desire to see the project come to fruition.

"Members of PMVDO came to us about a year ago with the idea of implementing hydroelectricity," Mr Tennakoon.

"Sewalanka then approached the World Bank to fund the initiative under their Renewable Energy Project, which works towards achieving the Millennium Development Goal of ensuring environmental sustainability.

"Sewalanka and PMVDO understood that Kudawa is a perfect location to implement hydroelectricity.

“With such a high level of rainfall in the area, the environment really does lend itself to hydroelectricity," he said.

"This renewable form of energy not only preserves the beautiful natural local environment, it is also more efficient and affordable than traditional forms of electricity. After the initial investment in establishing the system, expenses for village members will be minimal and will relate to the maintenance of infrastructure.

"The initiative is also sustainable as ownership of the project falls solely with the village through the maintenance and management of the system," he said.