President Maithripala Sirisena yesterday, inaugurated the Badulla - Haliela - Ella integrated water supply project providing clean drinking water to about 15,000 families in Badulla, Haliela, Demodara and Ella.
City Planning and Water Supply Minister Rauff Hakeem and State Minister of City Planning, Sudarshini Fernandopulle accompanied the President.
The project constructed spending Rs 11,800 million with loan assistance from the US, has a fully fledged water purification plant that could purify 15,000 cubic meters of water per day. The construction consists of a concrete dam built across the Badulu Oya with a 17 metre-high water storage facility that could hold 132,000 cubic meters of water.
The project’s water treatment technology uses mixed tube settlers and absorption clarifiers to optimize the water treatment. Installations involve a recycling network that could recycle waste water which gets ejected through the purification process. The water supply network covers 42 Grama Niladhari divisions, providing pipe borne water to nearly 110,000 people. As pointed out by the National Water Supply and Drainage Board sources, the project has given them the opportunity to enhance their services by installing at least 25,000 new domestic water meters. The project has also seen construction of eight steel tanks over the extent of the supply area. Besides, the office of the Uva Province Deputy General Manager and Eladaluwa and Bandarapura water purification plants have been reconstructed with the aegis of the project.
The water supply schemes
in Mediriya, Morethota and Thelbedda have been improved in conformity with it, sources said.