The nutrition levels of displaced children under 5 years of age living in welfare villages in the North have significantly improved since their arrival in the camps in May, Secretary to the Ministry of Health and Nutrition Dr. Athula Kahandaliyanage said yesterday.

The government has taken actions to implement the Consumer Electricity Act with effect from tomorrow,08th October, for the purpose of generation, transmission, distribution and supply of electricity, Chairman of Public Utility Commission Jayatissa De Costa said.

The Health Ministry of Sri Lanka has decided to use the lavicide Bacillus Thuringiensis Israelensis (BTI) bacteria imported from Cuba to control the fast spreading mosquito-born dengue disease in selected areas of the central hill country as a model program.

Angry residents of the Galmaduwa area have staged a massive protest campaign blocking the Ampara-Colombo main road for several hours this morning.

According to the sources, people launched the campaign to protest the water shortage experiencing for a long time by the residents in the area.

Sri Lanka government is to begin construction of four medium-scale hydropower plants under Uma Oya, Moragalla Oya, Ginganga and Broadland projects, in the country next year, Power and Energy Ministry said.

The Government of Japan has provided funds for a Rs. 8.6 million project to provide potable water for the impoverished people in the Ampara District of Eastern Sri Lanka.

Sri Lanka parliament today approved a supplementary estimate of 685.3 million rupees presented by the Ministry of Agricultural Development and Agrarian Services.

Minister for Agricultural Development and Agrarian Services Development Maithripala Sirisena said the objective of presenting the estimate is to cut back the losses incurred by the agrarian farms from 1976 to 2003.

Sri Lanka is planning to sign a commercial and power-purchasing agreement with India's National Thermal Power Corporation to build a $500 million coal power plant in the East.

The Power and Energy Ministry announced on Wednesday that it will sign the agreement next week to build the 1,000 MW, coal power plant in Trincomalee.

Sri Lanka Government has constructed its third tsunami warning tower at Mahawewa area in Puttalam.

This tsunami warning center will be operated jointly by the Disaster Management Centre and the Meteorological Department.

An awareness programme was also held at the Mahawewa beach area yesterday to inform the public on how the warning tower works.

Sri Lanka's Disaster Management Centre today warned the residents living in the Maskeliya, Kitulgala, Yatiyantota and Avissawella areas after at least three sluice gates of the Maussakale, one of the major hydropower reservoirs were opened.