WILL IRRIGATE 2,000 ACRES OF PADDY LANDS: WIJAYAMUNI SOYZA
Water from Gurugaloya Project
Irrigation and Water Resources Management Minister Gamini Wijith Wijayamuni Soyza said yesterday the garment industry was not an environmentfriendly industry and that several canals and rivers had been polluted by the waste water discharged from factories.
He said this when addressing a gathering at the release of water from the Gurugaloya project and added that disposal of refuse and waste water from garment factories into water ways resulted in extensive environmental damage and a huge loss to the country, the extinction of fish species, aquatic plants and a shortage of drinking water.
The minister said he would provide water to the people free of charge and that the Gurugaloya project would help irrigate 2,000 acres for paddy cultivation.
He said Sri Lanka was an agricultural country and priority should be given to agricultural Import of milk powder should be reduced to the bare minimum to encourage the people to consume local dairy products farmers were the backbone of the country’s development effort.
The minister said the import of milk powder should be reduced to the bare minimum to encourage the people to consume local dairy products including milk and curd and pointed out that though he held a ministerial portfolio in the previous government he did not have the power to even construct a toilet and that he was pleased to have the opportunity to work as a minister in the Maithripala Sirisena government.
The Executive Director of Irrigation, K.M.A.P. Karunanayake outlining the history of this Project said it began in 1945 as ‘Murupola Ela Project’.
Minister S.B. Dissanayake, Central Province Chief Minister Sarath Ekanayake, Provincial Councillor Shanthini Kongahage and former Chairman of the Central Provincial Council, Mahinda Abeykoon were present at the occasion. development and that the large crowd of farmers attending the ceremony was a clear indication of their commitment to agriculture. The minister highlighted the fact that the