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Measures have been taken by the Department of Agrarian Development to rehabilitate 30 tanks, which have been abandoned for several decades without any restoration, during this year.
Taking into account the complaints made by farmers that there are many tanks which have not been used and renovated in several districts in the country, the Minister of Agriculture, Mahinda Amaraweera instructed the Department of Agrarian Development to start a survey to find out how many such abandoned tanks exist in the country.
According to the surveys conducted so far, identification programmes have been implemented in relation to the abandoned tanks in many districts. The Ministry of Agriculture has decided to rehabilitate only the abandoned tanks which have more than 20 acres of arable paddy lands under the tanks and use them for the benefit of farmers.
Accordingly, it has been decided to redevelop 30 abandoned tanks selected from Hambantota, Vavuniya, Mullaitivu, Mannar, Batticaloa, Ampara, Trincomalee, Anuradhapura, Kurunegala, Puttalam, Badulla and Monaragala districts during this year.
A sum of Rs.300 million has been allocated for this purpose.
The Minister of Agriculture instructed the Department of Agrarian Development to give priority to the cultivation of vegetables and fruits instead of paddy cultivation under these tanks and to focus on completing these tank renovation works by next August.
