Pan Asia Bank rehabilitates vital lifeline for farming community

Nimal Tillekeratne, MD/CEO of Pan Asia Bank inaugurating the rehabilitated Mahawewa tank

Pan Asia Bank recently completed the rehabilitation of the Mahawewa tank in the Balagollawasama region of the Kurunegala District. 

The tank is located in a remote village called Egodagama where scores of families depend on paddy farming to survive. The only two tanks in the village, Mahawewa and Muhunwewa, 19 and 4 acres respectively were covered with mud and Eichhornia plants and had fallen into disrepair. As a result, the water capacity fell to 20 percent of actual capacity, thereby impacting the paddy farmers negatively. 

In response, Pan Asia Bank successfully carried out the cleaning and rehabilitations of the tanks to increase water capacity to 100 percent of total capacity, thereby benefitting the paddy farmers who cultivate over 140 acres of paddy fields. The bank invested Rs. 4,590,000 towards this initiative. 

This project is the first of its kind undertaken by the Bank and the first such public-private partnership. Pan Asia Bank is committed to many other green initiatives which restore lost natural heritage. 

Delighted to have supported the village community, Pan Asia Bank senior management and staff and other officials were present on the occasion to mark the completion of the project. 

Those present included Nimal Tillekeratne - MD/CEO of Pan Asia Bank; K. Siriwardena - Director General of Irrigation; Jagath Dias - Director General of Pensions; W.K.S. Wickramapala - Director Assets Management – Irrigation Department; Naleen Edirisinghe – Snr. DGM-Pan Asia Bank; V. Indrapala - Director General of Irrigation – Kurunegala District; Nalaka Siriwardena - ASP – Mahawa Division; A. A. P. A. Kulathunga - OIC – Poipithigama; T M D S Rathnayake - Divisional Engineer Irrigation – Hiriyala Division; G. R. Gamlath - Engineering Assistant – Hiriyala Division; Prasanna Bandara - RM – Area North Western; Vindya Wickramage - Manager – Sammana & Pawning; Thushari Mahindapala - Manager – Kurunegala branch; Members of Head Office Sammana Unit; Sammana coordinators and villagers in Balagolla area.