Sri Lanka’s second-largest water supply project for 67,000 families begins

Colombo, July 10 (Daily Mirror) - Sri Lanka's second-largest water supply project, which will provide safe drinking water to around 67,000 families in the Anuradhapura District, commenced today under the patronage of President Anura Kumara Dissanayake.

The second phase of the Anuradhapura North Water Supply Project is being implemented by the Ministry of Housing, Construction and Water Supply and the National Water Supply and Drainage Board (NWSDB) with financial assistance from the Japan International Cooperation Agency (JICA) and the Government of Sri Lanka.

The Rs. 51 billion project will supply clean drinking water to households in the Padaviya, Kebithigollewa, Horowpothana and Kahatagasdigiliya Divisional Secretariat divisions, where Chronic Kidney Disease of unknown aetiology (CKDu) has remained a major public health concern.

Addressing the launch, President Dissanayake said the Government is committed to improving the quality of life of farmers through investments in agriculture, irrigation and rural infrastructure.

He said the Government had doubled the fertiliser subsidy from Rs. 15,000 to Rs. 30,000, provided the highest-ever compensation to farmers affected by Cyclone Ditwah, allocated the largest amount in the country's history for paddy procurement and resumed major irrigation projects.

The President said access to clean drinking water was a fundamental right and stressed that the Anuradhapura North Water Supply Project was not merely an infrastructure initiative but one aimed at protecting people's health and lives.

He also announced that work on the long-delayed Lower Malwathu Oya Project, estimated to cost around Rs. 40 billion, would begin next year, while steps would also be taken to expedite the completion of the North Central Main Canal Project and extend water supplies up to the Mahakanadarawa Reservoir.

The President thanked the Government of Japan and JICA for their continued support, noting that several Japanese-funded projects suspended following Sri Lanka's 2022 sovereign debt default had resumed, including the Bandaranaike International Airport expansion project and the television digitalisation project.

Minister of Trade, Commerce, Food Security and Cooperative Development Wasantha Samarasinghe described the project as Sri Lanka's second-largest water supply scheme, comprising a 12-acre water treatment plant and more than 1,500 kilometres of distribution pipelines.

Housing, Construction and Water Supply Minister Dr. Susil Ranasinghe said the project marked a new revival in the country's water supply sector, adding that several major water supply projects would also be commissioned in Thambuttegama, Laggala, Polgahawela-Potuhera and Pathadumbara in the coming months.

JICA Chief Representative Kuronuma Kenji said the project would provide safe drinking water to about 67,000 families across 164 Grama Niladhari divisions while helping reduce health risks associated with unsafe groundwater, including chronic kidney disease.

Japan's Chargé d'Affaires ad interim, Kamoshida Naoaki, said Japan resumed concessional loan-funded projects in Sri Lanka soon after the country's debt restructuring agreement, adding that Sri Lanka's economy had stabilised due to the Government's strong macroeconomic policies and that Japan remained committed to supporting the country's infrastructure development.

The event was attended by ministers, Members of Parliament, provincial officials, senior government officials, representatives of JICA and local residents.