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10th Parliament· 154 sittings on record · 30,475 speeches · latest 10 June 2026

Sitting of Wednesday, 4 March 2026

10th Parliament· 21 debates· 222 speeches· 65 speakers

Source: Hansard PDF (parliament.lk) ↗ ·No. 23360 ·English daily/uncorrected Hansard

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Order of business

Speeches load per item. Summaries shown here are AI-generated and labelled; verbatim text is on each speech page.

  9. 9 Oral question Oral Question: Irrigation Tanks and Cascade Systems in Vavuniya (Q.1406/2025) 7 speeches
    • The Hon. Aravinda Senarath — Deputy Minister of Land and Irrigation

      AI summary In reply to Question 1406/2025, the Deputy Minister stated that Vavuniya District has 833 irrigation tanks serving 41,594 acres of paddy land, of which 611 systems currently supply water to 38,750 acres. He said 222 tanks are abandoned, covering 2,844 acres, with none under the Department of Irrigation, one under the Mahaweli Authority, and 221 under the Department of Agrarian Development. Rehabilitation is to proceed through the Kivul Oya Project for the Mahaweli tank and through the Department of Agrarian Development’s 2026 action plan, which allocates Rs. 125 million for selected minor tanks in 13 districts. He added that land allocation under Kivul Oya will take place after construction and development are completed, with no date yet specified.

      AgricultureInfrastructure Full speech →
    • The Hon. (Dr.) Pathmanathan Sathiyalingam ITAK

      AI summary Hon. (Dr.) Pathmanathan Sathiyalingam raised the issue of 221 abandoned tanks in Vavuniya under the Department of Agrarian Development and noted the Government’s stated intention to rehabilitate them. He questioned whether the Government would increase the current paddy purchasing limit of 2,500 kilograms per farmer, arguing that farmers cultivating up to five acres can produce around 10,000 kilograms and therefore receive limited benefit under the existing cap.

      Agriculture Full speech →
    • The Hon. Aravinda Senarath JJB

      AI summary Issues with paddy purchasing in the North were raised in the Ministerial Advisory Committee, and it was stated that the Paddy Marketing Board has begun purchases despite local challenges. The Ministry will consider the request for faster action, ensure fairness to farmers, and provide further details to the Member.

      Agriculture Full speech →
    • The Hon. (Dr.) Pathmanathan Sathiyalingam ITAK

      AI summary Hon. (Dr.) Pathmanathan Sathiyalingam asked whether funding could be allocated from the following year to rehabilitate cascade irrigation systems in the Vanni. He said many small and medium tanks, including 222 abandoned tanks in Vavuniya, could support village water needs, livestock, inland fisheries, groundwater recharge, and environmental protection while reducing the need for large irrigation schemes involving deforestation.

      AgricultureEnvironmentInfrastructure Full speech →
    • The Hon. Speaker procedural
      Full speech →
    • The Hon. (Dr.) Pathmanathan Sathiyalingam ITAK

      AI summary Asked whether sufficient funds will be allocated in the next year to develop cascade tanks in the Vanni, citing their benefits.

      InfrastructurePublic Finance Full speech →
    • The Hon. Aravinda Senarath JJB

      AI summary Aravinda Senarath said the Government recognizes the importance of village-level minor irrigation and ellangawa cascade systems in districts such as Mullaitivu and Vavuniya, alongside major, medium and Mahaweli schemes. He noted that while all tanks in the district may not be completed within the next year, the “Wari Mahima – Ape Urumaya” programme is prioritizing the Vanni districts following requests from the coordinating committee, with special attention to rehabilitation of these systems.

      AgricultureInfrastructure Full speech →