Army to support Mannar reawakening

Nimal Wijesinghe Anuradhapura Additional District group correspondent

Army support will be utilised in the implementation of the agricultural and irrigational development plans of the Mannar Reawakening project launched by the Economic Development Ministry.

Under this programme, Army personnel with former organisations will participate in cleaning of irrigational canals network, which have been abandoned for nearly three decades, desilting, landscaping and tree planting in tank reservations, turfing etc at the three main reservoirs such as Giant Tank and Akathimuruppu Viyadikulam will be carried out.

This programme is a concept of Defence Secretary Gotabhaya Rajapaksa and Irrigation and Water Resources Management Ministry Secretary Engineer Ivan de Silva.

The programme was inaugurated by the rehabilitation of main irrigational canals starting from the 7 sluice gate out of 10 such gates belonging to the Giant Tank. Additional Director General of the Irrigation Ministry Tilakaratne Bandara joined by Mannar joint operations commander Brigadier Maithri Dias recently.

"This is a very important issue concerning the Mannar districts agricultural and irrigational development. This particular canal is the longest canal linked to the 7th sluice gate which proceeding to 20 kilometers catering to 6,500 acres of paddy lands.

The canal as well as the other waterways have to be cleaned and rehabilitated to ensure productivity. The farmers alone are unable to tackle this situation and hence the support of the Army personnel is highly appropriate.