Aranayake community uplifted with Janashakthi’s Maha Oya water project

Saturday, 11 January 2014 09:52 - - {{hitsCtrl.values.hits}}

Aranayake turned lush green when local schoolchildren, principals, district office-bearers and monks alike knelt together to plant 1500 trees in the area in a bid to combat soil erosion. The trees selected were carefully hand-picked by Janashakthi Insurance, who donated trees which were endemic to the area and would provide high returns in terms of economic value. Some of the variants planted included areca nut, kumbuk, nandun and halmilla trees.

The tree-planting was held as part of a larger commitment by Janashakthi to uplift the Maha Oya river catchment area. In April Janashakthi partnered with Lanka Jalani- the Sri Lanka Water Partnership (SLWP) choosing them as program advisors to implement a unique water quality assessment project, conducted by the University of Colombo. Members of the Janashakthi team also got involved hands-on in the project. “This is my first time participating, and it’s a unique experience to get out of the office and get directly involved in helping the community of Aranayake to live more sustainably,” said Senior Assistant Manager Marketing Activations)Kalum Weerasinghe as he planted young saplings alongside 20 schoolchildren and the rest of the community. The local community often engages in river sand mining, which while providing a lucrative source of income has resulted in harmful soil erosion. It is hoped that the newly planted trees will provide a potential alternative source of livelihood so that the residents of Aranayake can live sustainably while providing for their families. Janashakthi Insurance also screened the Sinhala documentary style film, “Mouse” at the same event. The award-winning children’s film directed by Wasantha Moragoda sheds light on child innovation from a view point of a bright young boy living in straitened circumstances.