Sri Lanka will start an aerial survey of its mineral resources, said Geological Survey and Mines Bureau chairman Dr. M.J. Wijayananda. A South African company had been selected through a tender procedure to conduct the survey.

The survey will cost $ 17 million and is expected to take one and half years. The necessary funds have been requested from the Treasury. The survey is to begin early next year.

This is the first aerial survey to be carried out since the 1950 s. A geological survey was due to be done in 1995 but was not -- on account of the war, said Dr. Wijayananda.

Anuradhapura and Hambantota will be the first districts to be surveyed due to the concerns about the alleged presence of arsenic in the soil, said Dr. Wijayananda. (ISA)