The foundation stone for the first phase of a provincial Groundwater Resources Board Management Unit was laid in Jaffna in the Northern Province on Friday, under Environment Minister Dr. Dammika Patabendi and Deputy Minister Anton Jayakody.
The project is estimated to cost Rs. 189 million and is expected to be completed within 300 days.
The Jaffna Water Management Office is being set up as part of the expansion of projects run by the National Water Resources Board, under the Government’s ‘Thirasara Diyawara’ (Sustainable Water) national programme.
The office aims to protect surface and groundwater, monitor water quality continuously and promote sustainable use of water resources.
Those present included Fisheries, Aquatic and Marine Resources Minister and Jaffna District Coordinating Committee Chairman Ramalingam Chandrasekaran, Northern Province Governor Nagalingam Vedanayagam and Groundwater Resources Board Chairman R.M.S. Bandara.
The World Bank-supported Integrated Watershed and Water Resources Management Project is to be carried out under the Ministry of Agriculture, Livestock, Land and Irrigation.
