The Ministry of Irrigation & Water Resource Development will carry out the Rambukkan Oya Reservoir Project which will be completed by 2012, at a cost of Rs.2500 million.

This will serve the lands in Maha Oya Divisional Secretariat area in the Ampara District where people frequently suffer from water scarcity. The reservoir will hold 56million Cu.m. of water and will provide irrigation facilities for 3500 acres of paddy land benefiting about 2000 farmer families.

Meanwhile, The Cabinet granted approval to allocate Rs.127 million to the Water Resources Board for the research study that will lead to identify the parameters of the valuable aquifer system of the coastal zone extending from Colombo to Negombo where there is a great demand for water.

The results of this study which is to be carried out in the costal zone from Colombo to Negombo would be useful to develop norms and the guidelines for sustainable exploitation of the aquifer which is presently subjected to chemical and bacteriological pollution as well.

The Cabinet also granted approval to an allocation of Rs.32 million to the Water Resources Board to implement the research work in the Anuradhapura District where the ground water and tank water are used for their day to day consumption.

The quality of ground water in the Anuradhapura District causes health problems to the people in Anuradhapura and chronic kidney diseases have been reported from several parts of the North Central Province.