Rain water harvesting project started

In a ceremony held on September 14, the Indian High Commission launched a project on Artificial Recharge of Ground Water Resources at the Export Processing Zone, Katunayake. The ceremony was attended by Indian High Commission Commercial Counselor Manish, Water Resources Board Chairman Munasinghe, Water resources Board General Manager R.S. Wijesekera and BOI director U Sirigampala.

This project was initiated by the government of India following discussions during the 14th SAARC summit on water security within the region. The project was implemented by the Water Resources Board with the active cooperation of experts from India. The total cost of the project Rs (11 million) was funded by India.

It involved construction of artificial recharge structures, such as one recharge trench, one recharge pit, two ring wells and 11 recharge tube wells.

The main objective of the project is to show the effectiveness of rain water harvesting in supplementing and improving the sustainability of water resources.