Call to stop polluting Nuwara Wewa

Garbage and cow dung mixed in water

Nimal Wijesinghe - Anuradhapura Additional District Group Correspondent

On the directions of President Mahinda Rajapaksa, the historic Magul Maha Vihara in Moneragala has been provided with permanent electricity supply under the Ran Eliveta Electricity Scheme by the CEB. The installations were done by Lakdanavi staff led by P Athulathmudali under the auspices of Lakdanavi Chairman U D Jayawardena and Chief Engineer Dhammika Nanayakkara and supervision of Hambantota Chief Electrical Engineer G G Chinthaka Sampath. The electricity supply was commissioned by Kithsiri Sepala Dissanayake, President’s Public Relations Officer on Poson Poya day. Speaker Chamal Rajapaksa also participated.

The Nuwara Wewa which provides drinking water for the Anuradhapura city and the suburb including Mihintale is being polluted. This was discussed at the Anuradhapura District Agriculture Committee meeting held at the Anuradhapura Kachcheri recently.

Irrigation, Agriculture, Agrarian Services Development Department’s officials and Divisional Secretaries and farmer organization representatives pointed out waste water and garbage being discarded by encroachers dwelling in the tank reserves including the tank bed and polluted water being drained from the nearby tourist hotels and circuits are being diluted with the Nuwara Wewa tank waters.

They emphasized that this situation has been creating an environmental hazard apart from being a health risk.

It was further revealed that cow dung of the grazing cattle near the tank reserves gets mixed up with tank water.