Over 300 metric tonnes of Alum from South Africa for tsunami affected areas

by Sarath Malalasekera

A high level team of experts from the South African water sector visited Sri Lanka recently to assist the Southern and Eastern Districts affected by the tsunami.

In response to a request received from the Government of Sri lanka through its High Commission in Pretoria, the Government of South Africa pledged assistance towards the provisions of Alum for water treatment and support for the Government's drive in the reconstruction of the areas affected by the tsunami.

A shipment of 310 metric tonnes of Alum from South Africa, required for water treatment, is due to arrive in Sri Lanka shortly, said Yolande Burger-Ingham, a Civil engineer who worked on several ADB and WB funded projects in South Asia.

Yolande who was in Sri Lanka with her team of civil engineers met National Water Supply and Drainage Board General Manager M. Wickramage and Water Services Support- Department of Water Affairs and Forestry Director Challenge Pelpola at Hotel Galadari recently.

Louis Fourie, Amatola Water Board, James Ngobeni of the South African Black Technical and Allied Consultant Organisations, Rachi Rajagopaul, Umgeni Water, Faan van Rensburg, Botshelo Water Board, Bossie Bosman, Rand Warter and Dr. Danie Wium of the South African Association of Consulting Engineers also participated at the conference held in Colombo.

The team of experts representing the public, private and NGO sectors from South Africa, coordinated through the Department of Foreign Affairs Sri Lanka and the national Water Supply and Drainage Board visited the Southern and Eastern District and met with officials to familiarise and get first hand information on the reconstruction efforts of the various agencies in Sri Lanka.

Site visits to the hardest hit areas also served to identify the synergies that can be achieved between needs for permanent reinstatement of water and sanitation infrastructure and potential resources from South Africa.

The South Africa experts held several discussions with the public sector at national, provincial and local levels, as well as the private sector. These discussions highlighted the commitment from officials at all levels to the enormous reconstruction task that lies ahead. It was clear that the greatest challenge would be to coordinate the applications of resources that are available in abundance.

A number of areas were identified where Sri Lankan officials might benefit from the most recent experience in South Africa, where a large-scale service improvement programme has been conducted by the South African Government in collaboration with the South African civil society, and private sector. Such support could include assisting some districts with integrating their planning initiatives to ensure that a balanced development strategy be followed in addressing the needs of the tsunami victims.

Various forms of technical assistance have also been identified, building on the skills of a number of water boards and the private sector in that country. This would typically represent support in issues of water loss management, feasibility studies and operational trouble-shooting, where inputs will be provided by experts from the water utilities and other water institutions in South Africa.