SL to venture into gold exploration: Ministry
Posted on January 20th, 2021
Sandun A Jayasekara Courtesy The Daily Mirror
Sri Lanka has ventured into gold exploration to determine whether the country has gold deposits to be exploited commercially, a senior official of the Environment Ministry said.
Secretary of the Ministry of Environment- Dr. Anil Jasinghe told Daily Mirror that a discussion was held last week with the Geological Survey and Mines Bureau (GSMB) and the Department of Wild Life Conservation to see the possibility of issuing a license to carry out excavation at Seruwawila in the Trincomalee District for gold.
A survey conducted in 1970 at Seruwawila had revealed that there was gold in small quantities in a deposit of iron- ore mixed with copper. What we are trying to ascertain is that whether there is gold in iron deposits to be commercially exploited,” Dr. Jasinghe said.
He expressed reservations on the exaggeration of certain media that a vast deposit of gold had been found in Seruwawila which was incorrect.