The President emphasizes that everyone must work together to build a glorious country free from bankruptcy
President hands over the Aranayaka water supply scheme which fulfills the clean drinking water need of about 169,000 people
President Ranil Wickremesinghe called on every Sri Lankan to contribute to creating a glorious & prosperous country free of bankruptcy.
He mentioned this yesterday (20) while declaring open the Kegalle, Aranayaka ‘Asupini Ella water scheme’; the largest water project in the Sabaragamuwa Province.
This water scheme was implemented under the financial allocation of Rs. 3,847 million from the Government of Sri Lanka and the loan support of Rs. 18,650 million from the Government of the Netherlands, providing solutions to the drinking water problem in 135 Grama Seva Divisions belonging to Aranayaka, Mawanella and Rambukkana Divisional secretariats in Kegalle district.
The construction work of the water scheme commenced in 2018 and the work was done under the supervision of the National Water Supply and Drainage Board under the guidance of the Ministry of Water Supply and Estate Infrastructure Development.
A water treatment plant with a capacity of 21,000 cubic meters per day, 07 service reservoirs, a transmission pipe system of 37 km and a distribution pipe system of 120 km have been constructed under this scheme.
Under this project, around 169,000 people covering 52,300 families will have clean and safe drinking water facilities, under which 25,200 new water connections will be provided and 27,100 existing water connections will be improved.
Unveiling the plaque and declaring open the water scheme to the people, the President also declared opened the water system.
He then joined an observation tour of the water scheme premises.
Mr. Ranil Wickremesinghe, who further commented, said:
In 2018, I came to lay the foundation stone of this water scheme as the Prime Minister. Today, as the President, I consider it a great privilege to come to declare open that water scheme. At that time I came to lay the foundation stone for this water scheme on the request of Mr. Kabir Hashim. I am happy to be able to finish this project.
The program started by Minister Kabir Hashim has been carried forward by the next Government and has been completed during the tenure of Minister Jeevan Thondaman. The drinking water requirement of about 200,000 people will be fulfilled by this water scheme which will be started today. I express my thanks to all the employees who have contributed for this water scheme.
In the past, after Sri Lanka was declared a bankrupt country, no investors came to the country. Former investors left the country. In such an environment, foreign investors are not interested in providing aid to Sri Lanka. In such a situation, I have taken charge of the country and gone to the IMF to bring the country’s economy to a stable state.
Because whether they are Sinhalese or Tamil, people do not wish to live as beggars. They wish to live with dignity.
The IMF had imposed tough conditions on us. But we had no other options. Similar conditions were presented earlier in the negotiations with the IMF. There, one previous Government withdrew from transactions with the IMF. But we have gone to the IMF and are taking the program forward with proper management.
