Better water supply for Kantale

by Mohammed NAALIR reporting from Kantale

The distribution capacity of the Kantale water supply plant is to be increased from 5.5 to 12 million gallons per day, an official of the Water Supply and Drainage Board told the Sunday Observer.

The hours of distribution will also be increased from 12 to 24. After the completion of the Greater Trincomalee Integrated Water Supply Project, water would be supplied to the area round the clock through the Kantale plant.

The present Kantale scheme can distribute 5.5 million gallons of water per day. Even though it was earlier planned to distribute 8.5 million gallons per day, the idea was given up as the Kantale reservoir facilitates acres of paddy fields in the district. Plans are afoot to get additional water from the Mahaweli river to the Kantale water treatment plant to increase the distribution capacity to 12 million gallons per day. A giant intake and pump house are being constructed at Allai Kantale close to the Mahaveli river.

On the completion of the Trincomalee integrated water supply project, over 65,000 new connections can be given and 330,000 persons in the Trincomalee district will benefit, the official noted.

A site engineer at the Kantale water treatment plant said water from the Mahaweli and Kantale tank will be conserved in the buffer tank and will be pumped to filter stations. The French Development Agency will fund 10.35 million euro, the French Finance Ministry 12.50 million euro and the Sri Lankan Government Rs. 1,003 million of this project.