Water for 150,000 families - Dinesh

Sandasena Marasinghe, Irangika Range and Disna Mudalige

Water Supply and Drainage Minister Dinesh Gunawardena yesterday stated that money has been allocated to provide drinking water for 150,000 families next year.

Minister Gunawardena also stated that the ministry has drafted plans to guarantee that 60 percent of population would enjoy pipe borne water within the next few years. Minister Dinesh Gunawardena made this observation in Parliament yesterday joining the Committee Stage debate on finance head of Water Supply and Drainage Ministry.

The minister further stated that with the completion of the massive water project in Kelaniya, next year, the Gampaha district would not face any drinking water problem.

Minister Gunawardena stated that Rs 21,000 million has been allocated for the Iranamadu tank water project to provide drinking water to the people of Jaffna and the islands around it. President Mahinda Rajapaksa made this allocation in order to provide water to these areas from Iranamadu to Jaffna.

He also stated that in order to provide water to the Trincomalee district, a massive project is in progress while the second biggest water project in Sri Lanka which was constructed in Batticaloa was vested with the public.

Minister Dinesh Gunawardena further stated that 3,600 community water projects constructed by people under the directions of the government are supplying water to a large member of families.

He added that a community Water Project Trust will be set up very soon to protect those water projects. He also stated that precautionary measures will be taken to protect the water resources as they do not increase along with the population.

The minister also stated the ministry is attempting to implement laws next year to direct the people to store rain water and to use them for suitable purposes.