Drinking water projects must begin using local funds, President Anura Kumara Dissanayake tells officials, warning delays will hurt people.
Drinking water projects needed to address urgent public needs must be identified and launched without waiting for foreign loans, President Anura Kumara Dissanayake has instructed officials.
The President said steps must be taken promptly to identify and commence projects required to resolve the drinking water problem, which has now become a primary issue for the people.
Advising officials to prepare plans based on the current needs of the public, President Dissanayake also warned that failure to ensure an adequate drinking water supply could lead to numerous wider problems.
The President issued these instructions during a discussion held today (08) at the Presidential Secretariat with relevant officials.
The meeting reviewed the current status, budgetary allocation progress, requirements, and future plans of national drinking water, community water supply, and wastewater management projects.
President Dissanayake instructed officials to submit a report to him on the date of commencement, required funds, and expected completion dates of projects identified for immediate implementation.
He further advised officials not to treat funding as an obstacle, but to design the necessary projects and submit proper requests for the funds required.
The President also emphasized that, when implementing these projects, priority should be given to completing them as much as possible using local funds instead of waiting for foreign loans.
He instructed that staff required for project planning be recruited on a contractual basis.
President Dissanayake also stressed that funds allocated as capital expenditure for relevant projects must be used within the same year.
He pointed out that failure to use such funds on time could create adverse consequences, including additional project costs, loss of benefits from money already spent, and the need to allocate fresh capital provisions for the same project in the following year.
The President separately reviewed the progress of ongoing and planned projects aimed at resolving drinking water problems in several districts.
These included Colombo, Gampaha, Kalutara, Galle, Matara, Monaragala, Kandy, Gampola, Anuradhapura, Vavuniya, Jaffna, Ampara, Batticaloa, and Polonnaruwa.
He also inquired into the challenges encountered in implementing these projects.
Officials presented details regarding inadequate water capacity in the Colombo District, caused by dilapidated main water pipelines, as well as plans prepared to overcome these issues.
The President pointed out that the Road Development Authority and the Water Supply Board must work in proper coordination and in a planned manner when carrying out such activities.
He also instructed officials to take steps to begin the Vehe Oya reservoir project next year to address flood control and drinking water needs in the Colombo District.
Attention was also drawn to the North Central Main Canal and North Western Canal projects.
The President inquired into the progress of projects being implemented to find solutions to the severe drinking water shortage faced by people in Welikanda, Medirigiriya, and Lankapura.
He instructed officials to expedite projects that do not involve high costs using local funds.
President Dissanayake further emphasized the importance of implementing all projects in a highly planned and systematic manner so that benefits reach the people.
He noted that some projects may have stalled midway due to priority being given to essential projects, but stressed that all such projects are based on identified public needs.
The discussion was attended by Ministers, Deputy Ministers, Members of Parliament, and senior state officials.
Among those present were Minister of Housing, Construction and Water Supply Susil Ranasinghe, Deputy Minister of Transport and Highways Prasanna Gunasena, and Deputy Minister of Housing, Construction and Water Supply T.B. Sarath.
Members of Parliament Samantha Ranasinghe of Kegalle, Nishantha Samaraweera of Galle, Sunil Biyanvila of Matale, Manjula Suraweera of Nuwara Eliya, Shantha Padmakumara Subasinghe of Ratnapura, Wasantha Piyathissa of Ampara, Upali Samarasinghe of Vanni, Roshan Akmeemana of Trincomalee, Ilan Kumaran of Jaffna, M. Jegadeeshwaran of Mannar, S. Thilakanadan of Mullaitivu, and Kandasamy Prabhu of Batticaloa also attended.
State officials present included President’s Secretary Dr. Nandika Sanath Kumanayake, Secretary of the Ministry of Housing, Construction and Water Supply L.B. Kumudulal, Director General of the National Budget Department Jude Nilukshan, Chairman of the Water Supply and Drainage Board Engineer A.M.P.C.P. Bandara, Chairman of the Water Resources Board R.M.S. Bandara, and Director General of the Mahaweli Authority of Sri Lanka H.M.J.K. Herath.
The statement was issued by the Presidential Media Division.
