Over 3,000 water supply projects in the pipline

by Naalir Jamaldeen reporting from Anuradhapura

The International Conference on Community and Water Services which commenced last Friday in Anuradhapura under the theme "Water Cooperation for Community Development" will conclude today.

Water Supply and Drainage Minister Dinesh Gunawardena said that Water Cooperation-2013 declared by the United Nations will be a boon to the sustainable development agenda of 2015.

He said that the conference will be an important juncture and that it would be taken up at the UN General Assembly when it meets to decide and formulate policies to achieve sustainable development goals of 2015.

"We face challenges in protecting the water bases. We receive this resource from the existence of our forest resources. Nearly 60 years ago the forest cover in our country was around 42 percent. Today it has drastically decreased", Minister Gunawardena said.

The Minister said that moves are under way to set up community based water treatment plants in 100 villages in Anuradhapura which are vulnerable for kidney disease.

There are 20,000 to 30,000 tanks across the country and there are 103 rivers, he said.

He said that steps have been taken to set up 3,800 community based water supply projects across the country.

Economic Development Minister Basil Rajapaksa said that two water supply projects will be implemented in Anuradhapura North and Anuradhapura West with the assistance from Japanese and Chinese Governments.

North Central Province Chief Minister S.M. Ranjith said that the people in the province undergo immense difficulties in getting pure drinking water. The people face health hazards due to lack of pure drinking water.