The Sri Lankan government has earmarked 910 million rupees for the rural development of the southern Matara District, as announced by Kanchana Wijesekera, the Minister of Power and Energy, who hails from the district.
The allocation was disclosed following a Matara District Development Committee meeting on Thursday (18) at the District Secretariat.
While the minister did not specify the exact projects the funds would support, he mentioned that discussions during the meeting focused on "Project identification guidelines, utilizing provincial and local council funds for development, and implementing timelines."
Wijesekera also engaged with former members of the southern provincial council, former heads, and members of local councils, as well as political sector coordinating officers of the Matara District at the SLPP Matara District office. The discussions covered briefings on government allocations for rural development, project implementation plans, and the political program for the district.
The Matara District faced severe consequences during widespread flooding caused by intense monsoon rains in early October. Residents attributed prolonged floods to a saltwater barrier across a large river. The aftermath saw damage to houses, agricultural lands, and crops in low-lying areas, along with contamination of drinking water resources.
In response to the crisis, the European Union (EU) provided emergency humanitarian assistance of 100,000 euros (over 34.5 million Sri Lankan rupees) to aid approximately 15,000 affected individuals in Sri Lanka.
