[4] Work in the tank, which had a catchment area of 227 sq mi (588 km2) and was to hold 26 ft (8 m)[a] of water, began in July 1902[b] but was delayed by the World War I.

[4] Construction was carried out manually and the labourers were housed in a new colony - present day Kilinochchi.

[4] In the 1940s a severe drought in the Jaffna islands resulted in large numbers of people migrating to the Kilinochchi area where they were given free land to farm near the Iranamadu tank.

[3] In 1951[d] the tank bund was raised to hold 30 ft (9 m) of water, increasing storage capacity to 71,000 acre⋅ft (87,577,210 m3).

[8] The water is also polluted due to the absence of a sewerage system and seawater intrusion caused by indiscriminate limestone quarrying.

[7][14] A new raw water intake would be constructed near the tank's left bank main channel sluice.

[7] The raw water would then flow, under the influence of gravity, from the tank to Paranthan via a new 12 km 800mm diameter ductile iron pipe located alongside the existing left bank irrigation channel.

[7] From Paranthan the raw water would flow, under the influence of gravity, to Pallai via a new 20.5 km 600mm diameter high-density polyethylene (HDPE) pipe located alongside the A9 highway.

[7] The ground sump at Kaddudai will pump water, via transmission mains, to Karaitivu and Velanaitivu.

[7] The ground sump at Araliturai on Velanaitivu will then pump water, via transmission mains, onto Pungudutivu, Mandativu, Nainativu, Analativu and Eluvaitivu.

[15][16][17][18] In 1950s and 1960s the Ceylonese government, with the assistance of the United Nations Development Programme and Food and Agriculture Organization, developed the Mahaweli Master Plan to use the waters of the Mahaweli River basin to irrigate Dry Zone land in northern and eastern Ceylon, and generate electricity.

[27][28] Phase 2 of the NCPCP includes the construction of the North Central Province Canal between Manankattiya to Chemamadu Kulam on the Kanakarayan Aru near Omanthai.