Prime Minister Mahinda Rajapaksa today initiated important milestones of Jaffna-Kilinochchi Water Supply Project (a project that aims to provide safe drinking water to the population of the city of Jaffna and its surrounding urban and rural areas)
Financed jointly by Asian Development Bank (ADB) and the Government of Sri Lanka the 266 million USD Jaffna-Kilinochchi Water Supply Project is expected to provide safe piped water to 186 Grama Niladhari Divisions by 2025 benefitting more than 300,000 people in 122,000 families in the Northern Sri Lanka.
The Prime Minister today (06th September) inaugurated, remotely from Temple Trees, the construction of the Thalaiyadi Sea Water Treatment Plant and the Jaffna City water distribution network – two important milestones of the Jaffna-Kilinochchi Water Supply Project.
By 2023 high-tech water purification technology in the Thalaidi Seawater Treatment Plant is designed to convert 24,000 m3/day seawater into safe drinking water distributed through the new distribution network initiated today (06th September) in Jaffna city.
In addition, the Prime Minister also opened for public, a smaller, 300 m3/day Nagadeepa Seawater Treatment Plant, directly benefiting 5,000 families in Nagadeepa, Analaitivu and Eluvaitivu. This project was funded by (JFPR) Japan Fund for Poverty Reduction and administrated by ADB.
Mr. Kenichi Yokoyama, Director General of ADB’s South Asia Department addressed the gathering via Zoom and congratulated the relevant water projects.
Chief Incumbent of Nagadeepa Raja Maha Viharaya and Chief Sangha Nayaka of Northern Province, Most Venerable Navandagala Paduma Kiththi Tissa Thero and other religious leaders and the people of Jaffna expressed their views on the benefits of these projects to the Government including His Excellency the President and the Prime Minister through video technology.
Vasudeva Nanayakkara – Minister of Water Supply stated that “Prime Minister Mahinda Rajapaksa’s intention in 2019 was not to defeat anyone but to end the conflict. Restoring the lifestyle destroyed by the conflict was his most prominent priority. The Prime Minister insisted that this water supply system is an absolute necessity of the people of North and that it is imperative that we establish this for the betterment of people of North.”
Vasudeva Nanayakkara- Minister of Water Supply, Hon. Douglas Devananda – Minister of Fisheries, H.E. Mr. Eric Lavertu – Ambassador of France to Sri Lanka, Mr. Gamini Senarath- Secretary to the Prime Minister, Dr. Priyath Bandu Wickrama- Secretary to the Ministry of Water Supply, Mr. Nishantha Ranatunga- Executive Chairman at National Water and Drainage Board were present at the virtual ceremony.
Sanath Nishantha- State Minister of Rural and Divisional Drinking Water Supply Projects Development, Hon. Angajan Ramanathan- Deputy Chairperson of Committees, Mrs. P S M Charles- Governor of the Northern Province and other officials were present at the location of the Nagadeepa Water Treatment Plant. (PMoffice)
PM @PresRajapaksa virtually inaugurated three key water projects in #Jaffna & #Killinochchi today, which will provide clean water to 300,000 ppl. The projects are the SWRO desalination plant, Jaffna City Distribution Project & the completed Water Supply project in Nainativu. #lka pic.twitter.com/fhjwFZc8JU
— G. Cassilingham (@CassilingamG) October 6, 2021