24-hour water supply soon for Kantale

Economic Development Minister Basil Rajapaksa and Water Supply and Drainage Minister Dinesh Gunewardane inaugurated work on the Rehabilitation & Upgrading of Kantale water Treatment Plant and Greater Trincomalee Integrated Water Supply Project at Kantale recently.

The sources of water for the areas coming under the scheme are the Kantale tank and the Mahaweli River. 330,000 people in the district will be the beneficiaries of the new scheme. The cost of this project - scheduled to be completed within 18 months - is Rs. 4,587 million, which is a joint contribution by the French and Sri Lankan Governments. After completion the scheme will ensure a 24-hour water supply for all communities in the district.The project is implemented by the National Water Supply & Drainage Board Under the guidance of the Ministry of Water Supply and Drainage with the financial assistance of French Republic and Government of Sri Lanka.

A total of 49,000 families in Kuchchaweli, Sampalthivu, Trincomalee town, Thampalakamam, Kinniya, Kantale will benefit from this scheme. Up to now water is being supplied to Trincomalee residents from the Kantale tank. But the problem is that most of that water is used for agricultural purposes. Consequently the daily hours of supplying drinking water to Kantale was restricted to 12; to Kinniya six hours and Thambalagamuwa three hours.

But in another 18 months all of them will get water round-the-clock. National Water Supply and Drainage Board Chairman Eng. Karunasena Hettiarachchi said that under the proposed project existing infrastructure would be rehabilitated and new facilities to achieve 12 million gallon supply capacity to allow supply for 330,000 inhabitants.Speaking on the occasion Economic Development Minister Basil Rajapaksa said that having access to clean water was a basic human right. He observed that with the population increase the demand for clean water had increased tremendously. It was therefore absolutely necessary to see that this common resource is managed and used in a sustainable way, equally benefiting all.