The Sri Lankan government says that the United Nations should take responsibility for not providing enough toilet facilities for the internally displaced people (IDPs) in Vavuniya camps.

The UN has said that only half of the toilets and minimum facilities for bathing are available for IDPs in the camps.

The Kuwait government has agreed to provide US$ 42 million for the Moragahakanda project, Agriculture Development Minister Maithripala Sirisena said.

The minister added Saudi Arabia, OPEC and JAICA had also pledged financial assistance to this mega irrigation scheme.

At least 14 percent of power generated by various power plants in the country was wasted while in distribution owing to technical reasons, the Ceylon Electricity Board (CEB) sources said.

A major fire at a forest reserve in Ettalapitiya, Bandarawela has destroyed nearly 400 acres. Yesterday, after burning for three days, the fire had assumed dangerous proportions and was spreading towards Aluthgama. Controlling the fire had become difficult as the hilly area was inaccessible to the fire trucks forest conservation officers said.

The Health Ministry has issued summons on 367 people in the Colombo city limits who did not heed ministry instructions to clean their households and immediate environs.

The number of dengue patients continued to rise yesterday and the number of deaths remained at116 while health authorities battled to contain the epidemic on several fronts.

Meegahakiula Division is probably one of the worst affected by the wild elephant menace in the Badulla district. The residents of several areas of the Meegahakiula Divisional Secretariat division are living in constant fear of wild elephants.

The Department of Motor Traffic said producing a gas emission certificate would be made compulsory from June 22 to obtain revenue licences for motor vehicles in the Southern, Central and North Central Provinces.

The government has invited the Delhi Metro Rail Corporation (DMRC) to help develop the Colombo City Mass Rapid Transit Project.

The DMRC which had prepared a feasibility report for the project would be soon sending a team of senior officials led by Managing Director E. Sreedharan to Sri Lanka for further discussions.

IFC, a member of the World Bank Group, will help the Commercial Bank of Ceylon evaluate and finance renewable energy projects in Sri Lanka in an initiative that promises to yield environmental and economic rewards.

An Island-wide environment programme jointly organized by the Environment and Natural Resources Ministry with the Ministries of Healthcare and Nutrition, Education and Local Government will be carried out on the next four Saturdays starting tomorrow to control vector born diseases.