Sri Lanka will address the scarcity of safe drinking water in its north by finally starting on its long-touted “River for Jaffna” project, which was proposed by an engineer 70 years ago, President Ranil Wickremesinghe has said.
Wickremesinghe was speaking at the opening of the Thalaiyady Seawater Desalination Plant this morning (2).
“The establishment of this water purification plant will significantly resolve the drinking water issues in Jaffna. We also intend to commence work on the Paliaru Reservoir to provide water to the Pooneryn area,” Wickremesinghe said.
“I have also decided to launch a “River for Jaffna” program. Once both this purification plant and this program are fully implemented, the water problem in Jaffna will be completely resolved. This will help restore the Vadamarachchi area to its former lush state.”
The Jaffna peninsula is bounded by the Indian Ocean and depends on its natural limestone aquifers, but this groundwater has come under threat due to saltwater intrusion, increasing water demands, and runoff from agricultural use of nitrates.
In 1954, Engineer Arumugam, former deputy director of the Irrigation Department, proposed a River for Jaffna for the benefit of the Jaffna peninsula water resources and environment.
Over the years, the irrigation department, Mahaweli Authority, various local and foreign consultants, and international agencies have contributed to and improved the proposal.