Munnesweram tank dredging expedited

Christie Fernando Chilaw special correspondent

In pursuance of a pledge to villages by President Mahinda Rajapaksa when he was the Fisheries Minister who had paid a visit to the Munnesweram tank, the dredging to deepen the tank to remove silt and sand, is now being swiftly expedited at the site.

This imposing and long-awaited project got underway recently with an initial grant of Rs. 500,000 under the Gama Neguma programme from External Affairs Deputy Minister Neomal Perera and Rs. 50,000 from the Divisional Secretariat, Chilaw.

The villagers residing in close proximity to the tank said the tank is now being deepened after a lapse of 60 years.

They said, it was necessary to dredge and deepen it as the tank was full of sand.

Scooping of the tank had become necessary as the tank had not maintained sufficient depth to irrigate about 800 acres of paddy lands in the vicinity. As a result the paddy lands around the tank had become fallow and deserted.

The villagers who mooted this concept are now satisfied that they will be able to cultivate their paddy fields in the near future.

The tank which is 138 acres in extent is intricately connected to a network of other tanks adjacent to this tank namely: Nalladarankattuwa wewa which is (72 acres) in size, Pankuda wewa (78 acres) and Thimbilla wewa (216 acres) in extent.

When these tanks are at spill level, uncultivated paddy fields can be cultivated as irrigation facilities will be available. Presently, the rehabilitation work is being expedited by a team of local entrepreneurs using backhoes and tractors. Already, about three feet of earth has been removed. Another segment of two feet of earth has to be removed.

The earth removed has been donated to different institutions. Sand was also provided to build an elders home at Pambala, Kakkapalliya, Chilaw. Sand was donated to the Munnesweram Buddhist temple which is close to the tank, to Ananda Central College, Chilaw and St.Mary's College, Chilaw respectively.