Countrywide drinking water bonanza

A sum of Rs. 36 billion will be allocated for the supply of safe drinking water to the people, countrywide next year.

This is a Rs. 7 billion increase in comparison to the Rs. 29 billion set apart this year, said Water Supply Minister Mahinda Amraweera. He said so addressing public meetings which followed the opening of the Hungama Miniethiliya rural medical centre and the Dehigahalanda Karawilayaya drinking water supply project in Hambantota recently.

The Health Centre cost Rs. 2 million and the water supply project Rs. 120,000. Amaraweera said 22 percent of the Hambantota district population had safe drinking water when he assumed office as water supply minister and currently this had risen to 75 percent of the population. Hambantota district which had the second best water supply among all districts would notch the first place in the near future.

“A majority of politicians conducted house to house campaigns on election eve making false promises to dupe the masses and obtain their valuable votes,” he said.