Kilinochchi to get full water supply

The government will not reduce the quantity of water provided to the people in Kilinochchi from the Iranamadu tank in the future, Water Supply and Drainage Minister Dinesh Gunawardena said.

He said that funds will be allocated through the Kilinochchi water supply project for the renovation of the Iranamadu tank bund.

The minister said the people in the Killinochchi district have a responsibility to protect this tank which has not been renovated for 80 years.

Addressing at a meeting at the Cooperative auditorium in the Killinochchi town on Friday, Minister Gunawardena said Kilinochchi district parliamentarian Chandrakumara Murugesu is the only people's representative in the area who raise issues faced by the people with the government.

He inspected a water treatment plant, water tanks and pipe laying activities in progress with officials of the National Water Supply and Drainage Board (NWS&DB) and the Japan International Cooperation Agency. The minister also held a discussion with the JICA, NWS&DB and project officials on the progress of the project.

"There may be contradictions and arguments among the representatives of different political parties. But when it comes to the service to people, they all work for the people," he said. The minister said President Mahinda Rajapaksa has given utmost priority to assist the people. President Rajapaksa considers service to the people irrespective of their political and other differences is of paramount importance, Gunawardena said.

He said the government has planned to complete the Kilinochci water supply project as soon as possible and the project work is progressing speedily.

Gunawardena added that his ministry installed a water treatment plant in the Kilinochchi town to provide potable water to the people living in a number of GN division where there is acute shortage of drinking water.

The minister added that his ministry has decided to provide water to the people in the district for agriculture purposes through this project. "The people in the area requested water for agriculture purposes from the main tunnel and we decided to provide them water for agriculture purpose too," he said.

He said the ministry will also give priority to the implementation of community based water supply projects in the district which are cost effective.

He said that these projects will be implemented utilizing the technical expertise of the NWS&DB engineers.

"We will launch a rain water harvesting project and a group of persons in the district will be trained in constructing these tanks.

He added that these tanks will be provided to the household and other government agencies in the district to collect rain water and use them during the drought season.

Daily News