Sri Lanka to launch 22 drinking water projects next year
Sri Lanka President Anura Kumara Dissanayake says the government plans to begin 22 drinking water supply projects next year at a cost of Rs. 20 billion.
The government has also prepared plans to provide new water connections to nearly one million families by expanding existing projects and launching new ones, the President said.
He made these remarks today (July 10) while attending the launch of the second phase of the Anuradhapura North Water Supply Project.
The project aims to provide clean and safe drinking water to 67,000 families in the Padaviya, Kebithigollewa, Horowpathana and Kahatagasdigiliya Divisional Secretariat divisions in the Anuradhapura District.
It is expected to help address chronic kidney disease, which has affected people in these areas for several decades.
The project is being implemented by the Ministry of Housing, Construction and Water Supply and the National Water Supply and Drainage Board, with financial assistance from the Japan International Cooperation Agency (JICA) and the Sri Lankan Government.
President Dissanayake said the lack of clean drinking water had been identified as a major cause of chronic kidney disease of unknown origin, which has been spreading in the affected areas since the 1990s.
He said the project was therefore not merely an infrastructure development initiative, but an effort to protect the people’s right to life.
The President thanked JICA for supporting the project and expressed his appreciation to the Ministry of Housing, Construction and Water Supply and the National Water Supply and Drainage Board for implementing it.
He expressed confidence that all parties would work together to complete the project within the scheduled period and ensure that its benefits reach the people.
The President noted that despite water supply projects being implemented across the country over the years, only about 60% of the population currently has access to clean drinking water. This represents between 4.2 million and 4.3 million families.
Speaking about the farming community, President Dissanayake said the present government is committed to supporting farmers and providing them with a better life, greater social recognition and dignity.
He said the government had doubled the fertiliser subsidy, provided the highest compensation in the country’s history for farmland destroyed by Cyclone Ditwah and allocated the largest-ever amount of funds for purchasing paddy.
The government has also restarted major irrigation projects to provide the water required for cultivation, he added.
