Colombo City to welcome five-hundred kms of new pipelines

US $ 320mn project to be launched in June

Water Board sources said yesterday there was a daily wastage of 35 to 42 per cent of water in the Colombo city.

The sources said that laws were being brought in to fine organisations and businesses that waste water.

Officials said water leaking from old pipelines was one of the main causes for the wastage along with taps left open in housing schemes and businesses for long hours. Hotels were the one of the biggest water wasters.

If produced in court, individuals found responsible for wasting water can be fined between Rs. 5,000 to Rs. 10,000. Public awareness programmes were being conducted across several areas in Colombo on the subject, board officials said

A project to replace water pipe close to 100 years old as well as damaged pipelines has begun, sources said. Under this scheme, close to 500 kms of pipes are expected to be laid across the city. The USD 320 million project which is funded by the Asian Development Bank (ADB) and the Agence Française de Development (AFD) is set to begin in June.

The Water Board said it hoped to reduce a 48 per cent loss in delivering 300,000 cubic metres of water to the city daily, while increasing the supply of water to meet demands.

“Most of the pipes are leaking. At times, the structure of the road can also cause leaks. There is an issue of water being tapped illegally. We hope to reduce all these losses to well below 18 per cent by the end of the project,” an official said.

The project which is set to begin in Colombo North and the Mattakkuliya area. Studies are being conducted to improve the delivery of water to other areas as well.

The USD 320 million project funded by the Asian Development Bank (ADB) and the Agence Française de Development (AFD) is to begin in June