Restoration of 497 abandoned water tanks in 11 districts begins, with 44 million USD aid of World Bank

COLOMBO (News 1st) - The Ministry of Agriculture has announced that the restoration of 497 abandoned water tanks in 11 districts has begun, with the support of a 44 million dollar financial allocation from the World Bank. 

The renovation of 72 water tanks in the Trincomalee district and 29 tanks in the Anuradhapura district is already underway, as part of the Climate Smart Irrigated Agriculture Project under the Ministry of Agriculture. The main objective of this project is to provide adequate water resources to improve the living conditions of farmers in villages that are experiencing water scarcity due to climatic changes. 

The project has identified a total of 870 abandoned tanks that need to be renovated to achieve this objective. The Department of Agrarian Development will undertake the rehabilitation of 30 more tanks this year, and the government has allocated 300 million rupees towards this initiative.