Sri Lanka will sign a Memorandum of Understanding with India to line up funds to construct rainwater harvesting units in the northern part of the country, an official said on Tuesday.

Secretary to the Ministry of National Integration and Reconciliation of Sri Lanka, V. Sivagnanasothy told Xinhua that there was a widespread drinking water quality problem in Jaffna, a city in northern Sri Lanka due to pollution of ground water.

It has been caused by the excessive use of fertilizer, agro chemicals and increasing salinity due to over extraction and pollution.

"In order to address the water problems, the Ministry of National Integration and Reconciliation with the Office of the National Unity and Reconciliation (ONUR) submitted a project proposal to construct 3,000 rainwater harvesting tanks especially for the Jaffna District. The government of India has granted approval for the project through the Indian Small Grant Assistance Program," he said.

The project is to be implemented through the ONUR headed by former President Chadrika Bandaranaike Kumaratunge.

Sivagnanasothy said the design and supervision will be undertaken by ONUR. Approval has been granted by the Cabinet of Ministers to sign the MOU with the Indian High Commission as part of the government's National Integration and Reconciliation initiative.

(Xinhua)